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.
So far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to apologise for. Britain's takeover of India was due to a vacuum of power after the Mughal Empire collapsed.
And you neatly sidestepped, gobshite, the whole Democracy issue - it's not just a matter of actually voting, but its the education and laws your leaders received. Gandhi was a solicitor, remember? Without British laws and traditions, there was no philosophical basis in the Indian tradition to have come up with the democratic system India now enjoys.
As for suttee - don't lie about that either. As this shows::
British governors generally taxed fairly and improved their holdings, often building roads in the region. Eventually, though, the British also began to impose their own ideas of culture on the people they governed in South Asia. For instance, they forbade the religious practice of suttee, in which, where women threw themselves on the burning funeral pyres of their husbands.
Never, ever lie to my face. Just don't try it.
Ivan