I was literally about to turn off my computer for a week when this arrived. I am so very grateful to have met you across this planet, Swarna. This history NEEDS telling, and with your voice. I felt bolstered and ready to join your fire-branded heart as I read, and then this brought me to tears:
"... by not mincing words to avoid making others uncomfortable, by taking time to grieve, to know forgiveness intimately, by carrying compassion bigger than your heart, by unsubscribing from all political and religious ideologies, by being sincere in your intentions ..." ❤️🔥❤️🩹
Aww , I feel so deeply connected and so it’s necessary to let the past dissolve not in indifference but in recognition, so I can go ahead a connect to others like you who have different histories but with whom I feel so much at home. Antonia I’m deeply grateful too to have found your across this enormous planet , in this specific period of time. Shine on radiant one! 💜🌼
I love that “dissolve not in indifference but in recognition.” Yes. All I can say is shine on in return! (And that this device doesn’t have emojis, but instead I’ll send you the incredible hum of a variety of bees on the mint that I let flower in my garden. May we all have bees to watch and varied histories to feel at home with.)
Now that’s a befitting toast! May we always have bees to watch and listen to in our gardens of fresh mint! May we always have friends with varied histories who love us regardless.
Dear John, welcome to Berkana. I’m so thrilled to have you here. I love your substack too, will take more time this weekend to deep dive into your pieces! 🌼💜
Hehe yeah I changed it at the last moment from ode to the motherland to shards of broken shackles because that’s how it feels like after being colonised for two centuries, the shards still fly at our face every once in a while
I have the same conflicted emotions whenever I feel "nostalgia" when visiting Spain and I feel guilty especially upon remembering the atrocities towards the Filipino people under the Spanish crown. You are right, though, while we need to stay true to our roots, we also need to heal from the generational trauma. Insightful read.
Roots are where we grow from Jen. The more we are rooted, they higher we propagate our identity into this world. I completely empathise with your nostalgia and guilt. Thank you for reading. Love your presence 💜🌼
Thank you sweet friend for spending your time on this. I keep imagining having these points to converse with you in person whenever you plan to visit my beautiful homeland. 💜🌼
And here goes the trigger! Thank you for your comment, we needed it here just as a fine example of your white privileged world view that contains of nothing but obnoxiousness and indifference for somebody’s personal struggles with identity which is an ongoing impact of colonialism.
You are not the one who grew up in poverty because your parents lost their home because of a war instigated by the agents of the crown. This is not your story. So the door is open, please feel free to leave if you don’t know how solidarity is a practice here in my community. People have suffered enough because of an unequal world and Berkana is place for stories of their suffering. If you gonna come and say to people “ohh but there are people who are doing worse now, so grow up” - get out of here. NOW!
An Indian gentleman in a senior role where I work recently flew home to attend a family wedding which he estimated cost around £800,000. For reference, the average lifetime house mortgage in the part of England where I live is below £250,000.
Fair play to him, he's obviously worked hard to get where he is. And he, personally, doesn't play the race card. But nevertheless he has benefited from huge class and caste privilege.
The reason these old theories of race, gender and colonialism have such a grip on educational orthodoxy is, ironically, to be found in the ideas of Foucault himself. They misfire in ways that suit the current ruling elite. Not the elite of a century ago. The elite NOW. Globalist and neoliberal.
India should get its own house in order and stop conveniently blaming a regime that left of its own accord 80 years ago.
I am now wondering if you even read my whole post before you found yourself triggered.
Colonialism is a play of toxic power. Colonialists like the British took advantage of this play until the world caught up and called their bluff of spreading tech and progress while all they did was actively spread their unwanted ideas and took home all they could lay their eyes on.
What you are trying to do is rug this as the distant past saying things have changed, well, a hundred times the time elapsed since you heartless oppressors left (~80 years) wouldn’t be enough to make up for the $45 trillion you stole just cuz you figured out how to use guns and force a few years ahead of the rest of the world (no originality even there cuz china figured it slightly earlier anyway just that they were not as desperate for more territory and resources as the Brits).
Anyway, what allowed the Indian gentleman to spend on the wedding are the same values and ingenuity that helped create a $45tn until 300 years ago. And we are on our way to do it again. A massive impact was made by colonialism on India and a lot of the other nations. A stop gap at the very least.
Ask the Congolese what the Belgians did to them. Ask the Native Americans what the British did to them too. See it for what it is.
There is no race card being played here at all, this is an article that analyses the geopolitical reverberations of mindless plunder that many colonisers executed in the pretext of ‘developing their colonies’.
It is indeed the racist in you who is able to find racist connotations and bring them to the surface. Thanks.
And China, far from being non-imperialist, used the 18th-century to expand and hegemonise the far West. Hence their Uighur problem now. Cf Tibet, not a colony when non-white people do it, eh? And as for Japan's little excusion into territorial expansion...
Oh, did I imagine the references being brown in Berkana's article? It seems the 'progressive' have an inability to defend their ideas without ad hominem attacks.
And, honestly, the way the woke throw spurious numbers around makes me think that these theories, which originated in literature departments without much of an evidence base, are simply The Revenge Of People Who Can't Do Maths.
For example, the assertion that by the time the British left, Indian GDP has shrunk to 2% of world GDP from a much larger proportion.
Well of course it did. In that time, the Industrial Revolution happened and spread through Western Europe. America also happened and America also industrialised. India had a smaller proportion of a many times larger cake. It says nothing, as it stands, about absolute levels of wealth or the distribution of that wealth.
Let me introduce Priya Gopal. Well traveled daughter of a senior Indian diplomat. Brahmin caste. Now a Cambridge academic. One of the most privileged people on the planet but never fails to badmouth the country that made her welcome and gave her a successful career. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priyamvada_Gopal
How do you think that plays with the people living in the impoverished post-industrial north of England, whose lives and communities have been destroyed by the neoliberalism and globalization advocated by the global 1%?
You will notice from the Wikipedia article she had a go at a college porter (presumably for daring to look at her Royal Snootiness in the wrong way) but no video evidence could be found for her assertions. That's one defining characteristic of the progressive neoliberal global elite, you see. They hate common people.
Dear Liz I hope you realise that you are only blabbering with your tags of ‘neoliberal global elite’. I am not an elite, I don’t buy any political philosophies, I don’t live in Britain, nor in America. I have never been outside of South and East Asia neither do I want to. This article is an analysis of India’s colonial past. It seems not only your math is weak, your knowledge of geography is quite pitiful too, India is not just a slice, it is a massive slice of the cake because geographically we are the seventh largest country in the world. And if you need more economics I would rather let Professor Jason and AlJazeera handle your doubts about the “absolute levels of distribution of wealth” https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinions/2018/12/19/how-britain-stole-45-trillion-from-india
And as for your reference to Priya Gopal, the whole thing is completely out of context, as there was no mention of her or her work in the Berkana article.
You did not imagine the reference of being a brown girl because I made the reference, but you are assuming either I am a neoliberal elite or a misinformed nationalist who have an agenda while criticising the oppressive structures of the past that still impacts the economic status of the this country. I have no agenda, this is my truth, and the truth of the rest 1.4 billion Indians who still live in this country.
You saying, ‘get over your anti colonialism’ is like a german saying ‘get over anti fascism’. And you can’t hide behind what China is doing because we are not talking about China but Britain. Let’s keep China for another day.
Yes I am brown, yes my ancestors had a horrible past, yes I surpassed that past, that doesn’t make the past untrue, that doesn’t change the truth about colonialism no matter how desperately you defend it. And here I rest my case. I am not going to respond anymore to your blabbering because you not once in the entire conversation reflected on the past that I so vividly described and declared as personally painful. You show no signs of empathy or compassion for an entire nation’s 200 years of suffering. You are the part of the problem that still justifies evil institutions like colonialism, slavery, and genocide. Your affiliations for Britain’s colonial past instead of ownership will meet my silence.
I was literally about to turn off my computer for a week when this arrived. I am so very grateful to have met you across this planet, Swarna. This history NEEDS telling, and with your voice. I felt bolstered and ready to join your fire-branded heart as I read, and then this brought me to tears:
"... by not mincing words to avoid making others uncomfortable, by taking time to grieve, to know forgiveness intimately, by carrying compassion bigger than your heart, by unsubscribing from all political and religious ideologies, by being sincere in your intentions ..." ❤️🔥❤️🩹
Aww , I feel so deeply connected and so it’s necessary to let the past dissolve not in indifference but in recognition, so I can go ahead a connect to others like you who have different histories but with whom I feel so much at home. Antonia I’m deeply grateful too to have found your across this enormous planet , in this specific period of time. Shine on radiant one! 💜🌼
I love that “dissolve not in indifference but in recognition.” Yes. All I can say is shine on in return! (And that this device doesn’t have emojis, but instead I’ll send you the incredible hum of a variety of bees on the mint that I let flower in my garden. May we all have bees to watch and varied histories to feel at home with.)
Now that’s a befitting toast! May we always have bees to watch and listen to in our gardens of fresh mint! May we always have friends with varied histories who love us regardless.
YES
Thank you, Antonia, for leading me to Swarnali.
Swarnali, I am glad to have connected with you.
Dear John, welcome to Berkana. I’m so thrilled to have you here. I love your substack too, will take more time this weekend to deep dive into your pieces! 🌼💜
Likewise Swarnali!
Swarnali is literally one of the best people I have come across on the entire internet. 💚🦋
This would be exaggerating it *blushes in secret and does a little happy dance* 😂💜
Not exaggerating!
I love what we're building here.
Absolutely John, love Nia’s community to bits and now you are here too!
Also, your TITLE. So perfect. Kind of says it all, doesn't it?
Hehe yeah I changed it at the last moment from ode to the motherland to shards of broken shackles because that’s how it feels like after being colonised for two centuries, the shards still fly at our face every once in a while
It describes that so exactly. It’s perfect. So much ongoing damage.
I have the same conflicted emotions whenever I feel "nostalgia" when visiting Spain and I feel guilty especially upon remembering the atrocities towards the Filipino people under the Spanish crown. You are right, though, while we need to stay true to our roots, we also need to heal from the generational trauma. Insightful read.
Roots are where we grow from Jen. The more we are rooted, they higher we propagate our identity into this world. I completely empathise with your nostalgia and guilt. Thank you for reading. Love your presence 💜🌼
Another sumptuous essay! Thank you so much for this offering, it is always a pleasure to tune into your story. :-)
Thank you sweet friend for spending your time on this. I keep imagining having these points to converse with you in person whenever you plan to visit my beautiful homeland. 💜🌼
And here goes the trigger! Thank you for your comment, we needed it here just as a fine example of your white privileged world view that contains of nothing but obnoxiousness and indifference for somebody’s personal struggles with identity which is an ongoing impact of colonialism.
You are not the one who grew up in poverty because your parents lost their home because of a war instigated by the agents of the crown. This is not your story. So the door is open, please feel free to leave if you don’t know how solidarity is a practice here in my community. People have suffered enough because of an unequal world and Berkana is place for stories of their suffering. If you gonna come and say to people “ohh but there are people who are doing worse now, so grow up” - get out of here. NOW!
An Indian gentleman in a senior role where I work recently flew home to attend a family wedding which he estimated cost around £800,000. For reference, the average lifetime house mortgage in the part of England where I live is below £250,000.
Fair play to him, he's obviously worked hard to get where he is. And he, personally, doesn't play the race card. But nevertheless he has benefited from huge class and caste privilege.
The reason these old theories of race, gender and colonialism have such a grip on educational orthodoxy is, ironically, to be found in the ideas of Foucault himself. They misfire in ways that suit the current ruling elite. Not the elite of a century ago. The elite NOW. Globalist and neoliberal.
India should get its own house in order and stop conveniently blaming a regime that left of its own accord 80 years ago.
I am now wondering if you even read my whole post before you found yourself triggered.
Colonialism is a play of toxic power. Colonialists like the British took advantage of this play until the world caught up and called their bluff of spreading tech and progress while all they did was actively spread their unwanted ideas and took home all they could lay their eyes on.
What you are trying to do is rug this as the distant past saying things have changed, well, a hundred times the time elapsed since you heartless oppressors left (~80 years) wouldn’t be enough to make up for the $45 trillion you stole just cuz you figured out how to use guns and force a few years ahead of the rest of the world (no originality even there cuz china figured it slightly earlier anyway just that they were not as desperate for more territory and resources as the Brits).
Anyway, what allowed the Indian gentleman to spend on the wedding are the same values and ingenuity that helped create a $45tn until 300 years ago. And we are on our way to do it again. A massive impact was made by colonialism on India and a lot of the other nations. A stop gap at the very least.
Ask the Congolese what the Belgians did to them. Ask the Native Americans what the British did to them too. See it for what it is.
There is no race card being played here at all, this is an article that analyses the geopolitical reverberations of mindless plunder that many colonisers executed in the pretext of ‘developing their colonies’.
It is indeed the racist in you who is able to find racist connotations and bring them to the surface. Thanks.
And China, far from being non-imperialist, used the 18th-century to expand and hegemonise the far West. Hence their Uighur problem now. Cf Tibet, not a colony when non-white people do it, eh? And as for Japan's little excusion into territorial expansion...
Oh, did I imagine the references being brown in Berkana's article? It seems the 'progressive' have an inability to defend their ideas without ad hominem attacks.
And, honestly, the way the woke throw spurious numbers around makes me think that these theories, which originated in literature departments without much of an evidence base, are simply The Revenge Of People Who Can't Do Maths.
For example, the assertion that by the time the British left, Indian GDP has shrunk to 2% of world GDP from a much larger proportion.
Well of course it did. In that time, the Industrial Revolution happened and spread through Western Europe. America also happened and America also industrialised. India had a smaller proportion of a many times larger cake. It says nothing, as it stands, about absolute levels of wealth or the distribution of that wealth.
Let me introduce Priya Gopal. Well traveled daughter of a senior Indian diplomat. Brahmin caste. Now a Cambridge academic. One of the most privileged people on the planet but never fails to badmouth the country that made her welcome and gave her a successful career. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priyamvada_Gopal
How do you think that plays with the people living in the impoverished post-industrial north of England, whose lives and communities have been destroyed by the neoliberalism and globalization advocated by the global 1%?
You will notice from the Wikipedia article she had a go at a college porter (presumably for daring to look at her Royal Snootiness in the wrong way) but no video evidence could be found for her assertions. That's one defining characteristic of the progressive neoliberal global elite, you see. They hate common people.
Dear Liz I hope you realise that you are only blabbering with your tags of ‘neoliberal global elite’. I am not an elite, I don’t buy any political philosophies, I don’t live in Britain, nor in America. I have never been outside of South and East Asia neither do I want to. This article is an analysis of India’s colonial past. It seems not only your math is weak, your knowledge of geography is quite pitiful too, India is not just a slice, it is a massive slice of the cake because geographically we are the seventh largest country in the world. And if you need more economics I would rather let Professor Jason and AlJazeera handle your doubts about the “absolute levels of distribution of wealth” https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinions/2018/12/19/how-britain-stole-45-trillion-from-india
And as for your reference to Priya Gopal, the whole thing is completely out of context, as there was no mention of her or her work in the Berkana article.
You did not imagine the reference of being a brown girl because I made the reference, but you are assuming either I am a neoliberal elite or a misinformed nationalist who have an agenda while criticising the oppressive structures of the past that still impacts the economic status of the this country. I have no agenda, this is my truth, and the truth of the rest 1.4 billion Indians who still live in this country.
You saying, ‘get over your anti colonialism’ is like a german saying ‘get over anti fascism’. And you can’t hide behind what China is doing because we are not talking about China but Britain. Let’s keep China for another day.
Yes I am brown, yes my ancestors had a horrible past, yes I surpassed that past, that doesn’t make the past untrue, that doesn’t change the truth about colonialism no matter how desperately you defend it. And here I rest my case. I am not going to respond anymore to your blabbering because you not once in the entire conversation reflected on the past that I so vividly described and declared as personally painful. You show no signs of empathy or compassion for an entire nation’s 200 years of suffering. You are the part of the problem that still justifies evil institutions like colonialism, slavery, and genocide. Your affiliations for Britain’s colonial past instead of ownership will meet my silence.