British Pillage of India: A Postcolonial Analysis of Shashi Tharoor’s “An Era of Darkness” and Naipaul's “India: A Million Mutinies Now”

Abstract

Shashi Tharoor and V. S. Naipaul attempted to discuss the innumerable mistreatments perpetrated by the British Raj in their nonfiction works "An Era of Darkness" and "India: A Million Mutinies Now," respectively. The title plainly indicates that the British governed India for two centuries during which time there was darkness, mutiny, and exploitation. Because of them, Indians were subjected to terrible humiliation and misery, and they were pulled into poverty. The aftermath of such sad events is still present. Due to situations such as Britishers feeling smug, Indians were prohibited from public servant selections, prompting Jawaharlal Nehru to declare, "The Indian civil service was neither Indian, civil, nor a service" (Shashi Tharoor, 60). Both of them utilized a variety of strategies to split India in all areas, allowing exploitation to continue unabated. They devised the concept of a census. They did everything for personal gain. Whether that was the initiation of railways, the interruption of community schools, or the inability to give aid during the Bengal famine, there were many reasons for this. Tharoor does not want compensation for the British's wrongdoing; Rather, he intends them to recognize and apologize. Naipaul investigates the changes in society that occurred in India during British occupation. He captures the varied voices and viewpoints of the people living in India, delving into the country's intricacies via a series of tales and personal interviews. The title symbolizes the concept that India is undergoing numerous transitions, as represented by a million separate rebellions or mutinies. This study reveals a clear and comparable representation of Indian sorrow and British misdeeds via the words of the two authors described above.