British colonial loot should be returned to India – Shashi Tharoor

Parliamentarian and noted author Shashi Tharoor has sought the return of colonial-era loot housed in British museums to India.

The 105.6-carat Kohinoor diamond, set in the crown worn by the mother of the late Queen Elizabeth II, is far more than just a precious stone, Tharoor said in the latest episode of RT’s Imperial Receipts. Tharoor, who currently chairs the Indian Parliament’s External Affairs Committee, co-hosts the show with RT’s Runjhun Sharma.

“For India, it stands as a symbol of the artifacts and cultural treasures that were taken to Britain as trophies of Empire,” he said. 

The diamond was mined in southern India and changed hands between various empires in South and West Asia before it became property of the Sikh Empire in Punjab in northwestern India. It was snatched by the British East India Company from the Sikh ruler after the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) and the subsequent annexation of Punjab.

Tharoor pointed out that even the word “loot” was adopted by the British from Hindi into their dictionaries and their behavior. He added that modern Britain owes much of its global stature to the exploitation of its colonies.

“Most importantly, beyond the loss of physical artifacts, the British Crown stripped India of something even deeper: its self-respect and dignity,” he said.

Apart from the Kohinoor, the British took away other objects of deep cultural significance that can now be seen in places like the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.