India, a former British colony for two entire centuries, announced a day of mourning on 11 September to pay tribute to late British royal matriarch Queen Elizabeth II. In a Twitter post, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi said the 96-year-old was “a stalwart of our times” who “provided inspiring leadership” and “personified dignity and decency in public life.” He noted that he was “pained by her demise.”
The news was met with confusion from various sections of the Indian public, with many asking why the government had announced a day of mourning for a figure who represented 200 years of plunder, slavery, exploitation, and abuse, without a word of apology. The government’s stance raised questions about whether New Delhi’s response was hypocritical, given that India has spent decades distancing itself from its colonial past.
In fact, the PM’s condolence message for Elizabeth coincided with his address at the inauguration ceremony of Kartavya Path. Formerly and famously known as Rajpath, a nod to the British Raj, the majestic boulevard connects iconic monuments of Indian history, including the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill to Vijay Chowk, India Gate, the National War Memorial, and the National Stadium. Given its significance to India’s identity, politics, and history, the Modi administration introduced legislation to rename the boulevard to reflect “new colours to the portrait of tomorrow.”
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered as a stalwart of our times. She provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people. She personified dignity and decency in public life. Pained by her demise. My thoughts are with her family and people of UK in this sad hour.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2022
Calling the name change a “historic moment,” the PM said that “Kingsway or Rajpath, the symbol of slavery has become a matter of history from today [and] has been erased forever.” He added that “a new history has been created in the form of Kartavya Path” and congratulated Indian citizens “for the freedom from yet another identity of slavery.”
The Rajpath’s revamping is only part of the Indian government’s broad efforts to erase present-day reminders of India’s bloody history of colonialism. Over the years, dozens of Indian cities have undergone official name changes to reflect the effort to shake off their colonial hangover, including Calcutta to Kolkata, Bangalore to Bengaluru, Pondicherry to Puducherry, Mysore to Mysuru, Chennai to Madras, Bombay to Mumbai, Vizag to Visakhapatnam, Trivandrum to Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin to Kochi, and Cawnpore to Kanpur.
PM Modi also unveiled a new emblem for the Indian Navy earlier this month to replace the Saint George’s Cross with a new one inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Such changes have been consistent across governments, reflecting a shared, multi-partisan goal to de-anglicise India’s post-independence history.
#IndianNavy is a proud custodian of rich Maritime Legacy!
— Shantanu Thakur (@Shantanu_bjp) September 2, 2022
The New Naval Ensign inaugurated by Hon'ble PM @narendramodi Ji, consists of
🟠Indian National Flag
⚪️National Emblem
🟢Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Glory pic.twitter.com/BZHYHQAL21
It was no surprise then that the incumbent government’s decision to declare a day of mourning and fly the flag at half-mast after Queen Elizabeth II’s passing was met with pushback.
“Now can we get our #Kohinoor back? Reminder that Queen Elizabeth is not a remnant of colonial times. She was an active participant in colonialism,” a Twitter user wrote. “Not sure why the tricolor should be “flown at half-mast throughout India on all buildings where the National Flag is flown regularly” as a “mark of respect” to Queen Elizabeth II of United Kingdom of Great Britain. Indian State mourning! Is India still a Colony of the Crown?,” journalist Aarti Tikoo Singh, Editor-In-Chief of The New Indian wrote on Twitter.
Similarly, Ananya Bhardwaj, a PhD scholar at George Washington University, told The Wire: “As an Indian, I identify as a postcolonial subject and hearing of the one-day mourning for the Queen in India is very disheartening.” “I do not agree with people who say they mourn the Queen and not the Empire because the title through we know her comes from that imperial institution. Therefore, seeing her in the absence of the Empire she represents makes no sense,” she added.
Best way for the British Royal Family to give farewell to Queen Elizabeth would be to do historic course correction. Apologise to South Africa, India and other former colonies where people were persecuted, looted and treated as slaves. Return the stolen diamonds and Kohinoor!!
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) September 20, 2022
That being said, as much as India has tried to pull away from its colonial past, it has continued to pursue amicable post-colonial diplomatic and trade ties with the United Kingdom (UK) in the present day. The UK was India’s 17th largest trading partner in the 2021-2022 fiscal year, with their total trade touching $16 billion. Moreover, in August, they concluded a fifth round of discussions on a free trade agreement that aims to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030.
In addition, figures by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, which monitors the UK government’s spending, show that the UK provided around $2.1 billion of aid to India between 2016 and 2020.
Diplomatically as well, the UK and India announced “a new era” in bilateral ties in 2021 and adopted a 2030 roadmap that underscores their commitment to deepening cooperation on health, climate, trade, education, science and technology, and defence. They also agreed to elevate the status of their relationship to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.’
Press Release on Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to the UK. @rashtrapatibhvn @MIB_India @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/6sjKzbllYf
— India in the UK (@HCI_London) September 20, 2022
India is also likely keen to maintain cordial ties with the UK due to the presence of 1.4 Indian diaspora in the country, who cumulatively account for around $4 billion in annual remittances.
Therefore, it is equally no surprise as to why the Modi government had such a measured and reverent response to the Queen’s death. Besides not wanting to endanger a critical strategic relationship with a country that is looking to expand its footprint in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, India is also keen to protect vital trade, economic support, and aid.
Nevertheless, even in the absence of these factors, offering condolences is simply an irrevocable feature of modern-day diplomacy. Given that various other Commonwealth nations followed a similar course of action, regardless of their historic experiences with the brutality of British colonialism, India expectedly followed suit in order to maintain its global standing as a respectable and responsible world power.
President Droupadi Murmu signed the Condolence Book in the memory of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II at Lancaster House, London. pic.twitter.com/19udV2yt0z
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 18, 2022
PhD scholar and political consultant Purva Mittal, for instance, told The Wire that New Delhi was merely following protocol and diplomatic etiquette. noting that “India received membership of the Commonwealth of Nations without swearing upon allegiance to the Crown. The decisions of official mourning are based on political standing and international relations.”
Keeping this in mind, it appears that there is less than meets the eye with India’s decision to declare a national day of mourning and fly the flag at half-mast after Queen Elizabeth II died. Any accusations of hypocrisy and colonial-era sycophantism are wide of the mark, as India can simultaneously hold the UK accountable for its past while also continuing to maintain amicable bilateral ties. Moreover, it is also equally possible for India to distance itself from its colonial past while also protecting its emerging status as a global leader. While it can be argued that these goals would not have been endangered even if Modi had not chosen to declare a day of mourning, there was no reason to take such a risk, particularly when one considers that doing so has done no significant damage to India’s continued journey towards complete de-colonisation.