India Has Moved Past the Monarchy-- But they Want the Koh-i-Noor Back

India had been independent for nearly five years by the time Elizabeth II became Britain's monarch in February 1952.  Britain at that time, though less powerful than in the heyday of the Empire, was still a major world power.  India was just starting out.  But things have changed. 

Officially, India has been quick to pay its respects to the Queen -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered his condolences to Britain and his government declared Sunday a day of mourning.  But for many among the Indian public, her death is little more than a distant foreign news story.  Close to half of India's nearly 1.3 billion people are under the age of 25; many hadn't even been born when the Queen made her third, and final, visit to India in 1997.

While the United Kingdom remains one of the largest investors in India with British companies employing close to 800,000 people in the country, Indian leaders devote more energy to building ties with new partners.  In the wake of Brexit, many British politicians invoke the idea of the Commonwealth as an alternative to the EU.  In India, the grouping is hardly ever talked about.

Nodi attended the 2018 Commonwealth heads of government meeting in London, where Prince Charles was named as the Queen's successor as the body's ceremonial head-- but the headlines in India weren't about the goings-on at the summit.  The focus was on Modi's outing at a public event with the Indian diaspora in central London and bilateral meetings with his opposite number at Number 10.  In an increasingly young and forward-looking India, these "links of the past" are seen, when they are remembered at all, very differently. 

 

In the wake of the Queen's passing, multiple young people who spoke to reporters in India's capital New Delhi said they associated the monarchy with a colonial past that was marked by violence.  "If you don't see people mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth in India, (it is) because she doesn't have that connection with the new generation of Indians," Ravi Mishra said.  "She was in a position of power for 70 years when she could have done a lot. You know, all the bad that the British did to this country and to the other countries around the world. She did nothing."  Sandeep Gandotra said the British "took everything from India.  As Queen of Britain, she might have left some legacy for (Britons), not for India," he said.

 

A point of contention for many Indians is the monarchy's continued possession of one of the world's most famous gems, the 105.6 carat Koh-i-Noor diamond.  The diamond was unearthed in central southern India and passed through the possession of Indian princes and kings before ending up in British hands in 1849.   "The diamond should have come back to India a long time ago," Mishra said. "But we all know ... the Queen didn't do anything, so I'm not surprised that it is not coming back to the country."   Pooja Mehra called the situation "very unfortunate.  A huge treasure has been taken away. I think our current leader is actually making an effort to get it back to India. I will be the first one to clap and rise and celebrate," she said.