Happy Birthday, India. (She turns 58 today)

Sify News ^ | 8/15/05 | Sify news service

[voletti]

On midnight 14th August 1947, Great Britain ceded soverignity over the Indian subcontinent to its native people. The struggle for Independence was led by Mohandas K Gandhi and boasted stalwarts like Nehru. The day also marked the birth in blood of 2 new nations - India and Pakistan - in one ancient land .

[wtc911]

You've got to see this....

Gengis Khan wrote: Whatever it is, its way better then the "dhimmocracy" that is Britain.The much vaunted greatness of the so-called "Great Britain" is by far a bigger joke then any that exists in the world today. At best its an inconsequential and impotent province of Europe (not even worth calling a country) at worse its a country that whores its arse to the Dhimmies.

[Publius6961]

This was one of the worst debacles in British history. Read "Freedom at Midnight" for a well-documented history of this tragedy.

Can you give us a hint?

Worse than giving almost all of "palestine" to the muslims when it was supposed to be 50-50?

[CarrotAndStick]

Indians often say things without any seriousness. Chattering classes. It's been a badge for centuries. To claim some Indian wants a foreign power to rule it is sheer stupidity.

[DM1]

"To claim some Indian wants a foreign power to rule it is sheer stupidity. " well that is a nice statement i do not believe i referenced anything but an anectdote. No need to state someone is stupid based on a conversation now is there. That being said were you involved in this conversation? No? well then telling someone who was what he or she claimed is in fact sheer stupidity. Also as it happens this conversation started with her stating that there is a lot of corruption now and how the British introduced Common law which although not perfect helped to bridge a bit of their caste system by helping out what are referred to as untouchables. She claimed that in many respects they were better off. You dont like it, fine just relaying a conversation i was involved in keep your "sheer stupidity" comments to yourself

[Luddite Patent Counsel]

Can you give us a hint? Worse than giving almost all of "palestine" to the muslims when it was supposed to be 50-50?

One example, the Pakistan/India division was made without any consideration of where the Hindu and Muslim populations lived, and without sufficient notice to allow for orderly relocation. As a result, millions of people were uprooted, at least hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, died in the upheaval as a result. Many more innocent deaths than have occurred with the Palestine debacle.

[CounterCounterCulture]

Happy Birthday, India. (She turns 58 today)

She doesn't look a day over 50. ;-)

[untenured]

India has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and may even surpass ol' blighty within my lifetime.

That's at the outside edge of possible. According to my calculations and Nationmaster, if you live 40 more years and the UK only grows in per capita terms 0.5% a year over that term (a low estimate), India would have to grow on average 6.34% per capita over that span. Possible, but just barely. It appears to have turned the corner, but is still a very poor country.

But all people should welcome the rise of India independently of geopolitics.

[razoroccam]

You are correct - many older Indians express that viewpoint (especially those above age 65). They feel that there has been a tremendous decline in law and order. Freedom has meant rights over responsibility.

For this, I blame Gandhi, Nehru, and the Congress party.

However, I am more optimistic about India with the present generation - they are more gutsy, take initiative, don't give a damn about Gandhi or Nehru, are capitalistic, and don't give much thought to stupid caste considerations.

And I wish India the best on its birthday.

[DM1]

"You are correct -"
Thank you, I also hope that India can get moving in a positive direction.

[razoroccam]

You are correct about this being the worst debacle - at least 2 million Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims died. The blame, and there is plenty to go around, goes to the British who did not foresee the communal forces being unleashed, to Nehru who put his ambition above his country, and to Gandhi who, lost in a self-delusional grandness and naivete, subjected India to such a brutal outcome. If Gandhi was truly a Mahatma, he would have the guts to tell the British and Nehru to keep India in its empire rather than divide it. But then, he wasn't truly a Mahatma and his threats of "over my dead body" proved more hot air than reality

[razoroccam]

Considering that I left India due to Gandhi, don't see why I should have to apologize for her. Heck, I am due for a refund. Now, whom to get it from? Hmmmmmmm.......

[Gengis Khan]

I am most decidedly not your "mate". Outside of Massachussetts, we don't condone that stuff here.

 

Har har har........... your kind never fails to pick up the wrong connotation. One that has to do with the favourite Pommie pastime. LOL!

 

The word "mate" works in more the one way in the Anglo sphere btw.

 

Perhaps such stuff is tattooed on the interior of your colon, and you read it there.

 

And looks like you have got the whole literature engraved on your sigmoid flexure (the vernaculars included).

[ARridgerunner]

If Gandhi was truly a Mahatma, he would have the guts to tell the British and Nehru to keep India in its empire rather than divide it.

Something about this triad's history the world should not be willing to ignore, but it does.

(Jinnah was stronger than Gandhi, Nehru, and the British all combined.)

[Gengis Khan]

Jinnah was a British tool.

[ARridgerunner]

How so?

[razoroccam]

Indeed - the ironies abound.

Gandhi and Nehru were both educated in England. Nehru, especially, was a fabian socialist, which was so popular in England. Fabian socialism crept into the Labour party and despite Tony Blair, afflicts it to some extent even now. A part of this was political correctness and servile attitude towards other cultures while belittling one's own. This attitude can be seen in Gandhi/Nehru's Congress and British Labour.

India has been paying the price since 1947, and we saw last month the British paying the price for it.

[Gengis Khan]

Before Britain came along, people in India were divided by ridiculous numbers of languages,

 

We still have as many as 814 languages and dialects. After Britain what?

 

, had no experience of democracy

Yeah. While the Brits were there we had none at all.

 

and thought it was OK to light the old wife on fire if her husband happened to kick the bucket

 

Sorry to break it to you but the Brits did nothing to stop it. They perpetuated it until the social reformers from within the Hindu fold pressurised the British gov to put an end to it.

 

We gave you English, railways, experience with Democracy..

 

English.....yes.

Railways.......yes. (In anycase we had to rebuild it when we switched over to meter guage).

Democracy........nope!

 

You would not be where you are without us. You would not be who you are without us.

 

Oh we will erect a monument  in your name.

 

Sheesh!

 

Remember that before you spout off arrogant bullshit. Because you wouldn't be able to understand what the hell is being said on here without Britain having been in India.

 

Wont have mattered much. I dont think Indians willingly embraced slavery for your exalted "English".

 

that is effing rich coming from a country that sided with the Soviet Union during the Cold War

 

Dont forget YOUR country embraced Pakistan before we "sided with the Soviet Union".

 

and is harbouring more Muslims than Pakistan

 

Muslims ....yes. (The world's second largest Muslim country).

Dhimmis ......none.

 

I'll take that kind of comment seriously when you apologise to the world for Indira Gandhi.

 

Indira Gandhi did some pretty horrible things but ........remember Bangladesh? She was dead right on that one.

 

And I'll take your kind of comments seriously when you apologise to the world for the crimes of the Raj.

[Peter vE]

I hope this is the right thread to add "Happy Birthday" wishes to Pakistan as well.

I would hope that the recent moves at reconciliation between the two neightbors lead to a real peace down the road.

[AzSteven]

I was going to make a birthday cake, and then I remembered just how many folks there are in India - I didn't want to start any arguments over who got a bigger piece and all that, so I dropped the idea...