Do you agree to this?
I’ve heard and read many people believe that British Raj was the best period as far the administration part is concerned. They built roads, railway tracks and barrages which are still being used today.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Sher Shah Suri also built great roads and canals... that does not neccasarily mean his period was the high tide.
I think during the Raj starvation became the greatest problem there were several fammines and widespread lawlessness and looting.
It was a good administrative system they imposed but merely one they stole from those who ruled prior to them... maharajas and landlords were still nominally in power albeit as puppets and client rulers.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Exactly Sher Shah was also in my mind for better administration, but his period was limited to few years as compared to British Raj for a century.
I think Fammines in Bengal and other areas were also common before the British Raj too, but how can we justify that lawlessness and looting increased in British Raj?
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Opium production in Bengal was the reason for the massive fammine. Opium was produced and used to corrupt China in the Opium wars... with the land dedicated to produce cash crops like Opium the british literally condemed the population to death... although they still made a profit and up till 1857-58 the British still operated as a company.
Later the Raj was noted as a high point for the frontier and lower hill tribe dacoits and bandits... the British themselves never had the mobility to deal with bandits and light cavalry, occasionally they used native trained troops but again it was primarily a defensive role... it was a good time if you were a bandit.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Faris can you explain the relationship between opium production and fammine in Bengal. Does that mean no other crops (like rice) were being produced due to preference of opium crop?
I kinda agree with your comment about dacoit being happy under British Raj as most of the feudals who got title of sir from British seems from Dakoo category. England’s royal family was once dacoits in Portugal 
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Before the latter half of the 19 Century Bengal was a veritable bread basket, producing vast amounts of crops from rice to Johar. However the British had not much time or patience to wait for these crops to start making a big fortune… they identified several immediate cash crops.
The three main cash crops the British foccused on were chosen for thier trade potential. Most Asian countries had a surplus of grains and rice… what the British needed was products that made more money and had more potential for spreading the power of thier Empire. Three main “Cash” crops were identified. Jutte which allready grew in abundance and was much needed source for sacking and bags… Hemp from which most natives derived Bhang and Charas… the British realized the potential of Cannabis very early on, and finally Poppies from which they got Opium.
There was a much bigger market for these products and so the British set about with a typical carrot and stick policy… the carrot was Sirkaree incentives to farmers who grew these cash crops… the stick was brutal massacres and wholsale destruction of farming communities that competed with the Company farmers. A form of British Land Mafia if you will.
Now while in early days the Bengal region produced a surplus of fruit and veg, over time this surplus dwindled and what was left had to be split between home stocks and export stocks. Furthermore several years followed where the region was hit by unseasonal weather… Johar and rice were grown side by side… if the weather was too wet the rice were the main crop… if too dry they could fall back on johar… this fragile system was lost since there was less land and farmers opted for rice. When the rains came late… it was a disaster.
However this could have been avoided if the British had not been so greedy with the land and had they not foccused on cash crops alone. In the end it was the peasant masses who died the British could afford to buy grains from countries like Thailand and Burma.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
That was really mean of British Raj. Anyways, what can be expected from invaders.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Rail and irrigation systems were introduced by the British as well, there were many people who wanted to remain part of British dominion which included unionists of Punjab. What would be the reason for that?
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Rail systems were definately a British introduction, but primarily as a means of transporting soldiers and goods, very very few people from general society had a chance to experience the trains and the notion of romantic train journeys was indeed something only the upper echelons of society had access to right up to partition.
As for irrigation systems the British did introduce some new irrigation systems to the region but nothing was new, they destroyed a lot of other irrigation systems and frankly the best British engineering was still not able to replicate the feats achieved at the height of the Mughals. There nothing in the British waterways that can match the Shalimar Gardens for example.
Unionists were primarily rich landlords and those who had fallen under the "Baboo" culture, vast majority of people also sought unionism merely as protection against the mass rioting that was inevatable should any partition take place as by this time a United India was allready out of the question.
Sadly the British washed thier hands of the region despite the fact that Indians had fought harder than any other Empire faction to keep Britian a global power, India sacrificed much in the Wars both in Europe and particularly against the Japanese.
The Fammine of 1943 for example was partly caused by the British with thier greedy use of the land to produce cash crops rather than food crops, and by the Japanese who controlled Burma and Thaliand and thus cut off the import supplies the British so relied upon to feed thier workers.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
It's interesting to see that the things we see today stand similar to what our fore fathers experienced 300-400 years ago. As far as shalimar garden is concerned, when ever I go there I am amazed with the fine archiectural work done there, the fountains are so well aligned and the workmanship so good that can rarely be matched even today.
As far a the drug wars are concerned, before this invasion Opium production was dwindling, it has picked up again.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
^ You are reffering to Opium wars in Afhganistan of contemporary times or the Opium wars of Indian and Chinese History? 
The Afghanistan Opium war is basically a drug turf war between pro govenrment factions and pro taliban factions.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Do you agree to this?
I've heard and read many people believe that British Raj was the best period as far the administration part is concerned. They built roads, railway tracks and barrages which are still being used today.
indeed...our country received a lot as a result of their presence...if they took some assets, they also gave a lot to us as well...from administrative system to infra structure to Railways to English language...!!!
...i'm positive that our people would have lived a much much better life had the British Raj continued...i would sacrifice my so-called 'freedom' for a 'peace of mind'...what we got now is shame in to the word 'freedom'...yes, we got freedom to kill, plunder, humiliate, rape and what not!
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
There no freedom anywhere anymore unless your totally nomadic... someday I'll be 100% mobile and free and devil take the hindmost.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
modern banjaaraa? aisaa?
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
indeed...our country received a lot as a result of their presence...if they took some assets, they also gave a lot to us as well...from administrative system to infra structure to Railways to English language...!!!
...i'm positive that our people would have lived a much much better life had the British Raj continued...i would sacrifice my so-called 'freedom' for a 'peace of mind'...what we got now is shame in to the word 'freedom'...yes, we got freedom to kill, plunder, humiliate, rape and what not!
KKF bhai don't you think that British rulers were free to kill and humiliate people. I read that there were some areas (probably Mall Road Murree), where locals were not allowed to walk. What they did in Jallianwala Bagh is also not hidden. They even didn't forgive their colony while leaving by dividing the country and leaving behind issues like Kashmir we are facing todate.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Forget the truck there wont be no engines or machinery except hearts and muscles blood and bones.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
KKF bhai don't you think that British rulers were free to kill and humiliate people. I read that there were some areas (probably Mall Road Murree), where locals were not allowed to walk. What they did in Jallianwala Bagh is also not hidden. They even didn't forgive their colony while leaving by dividing the country and leaving behind issues like Kashmir we are facing todate.
you think it doesn't happen anymore? worst happen...bombs going off in masaajids, during ramadhan, on jum'at ul vid'aa, during namaaz....is there any other act lower than that?
of course, we don't condone such acts, be it meted out by the British or our own people. we would have generally been much much better off in British Raj than what we are in the so-called "democracy' and and in the land of free! far from it!
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
you think it doesn't happen anymore? worst happen...bombs going off in masaajids, during ramadhan, on jum'at ul vid'aa, during namaaz....is there any other act lower than that?
of course, we don't condone such acts, be it meted out by the British or our own people. we would have generally been much much better off in British Raj than what we are in the so-called "democracy' and and in the land of free! far from it!
I've a different view on this. IMO all the problems we see in our countries are somehow attributable to British Raj. Be it wars between India-Pakistan or feudals dominating politics especially in Pakistan.
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Colonialism aint over yet… not by a long way… technically speaking the raj never left. 
Re: British Raj was the best period in India
Whats the story behind this common-wealth?
I do agree they left behind their puppies to rule us 