Book Review: 'An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India' by Shashi Tharoor - From Darkness to Light, Tharoor's Holding the Torch

Cover of An Era of Darkness by Shashi Tharoor

The generation I grew up with is largely disconnected from what happened in India before they were born. This disconnect is also true for most people born after the Emergency. One key reason for this is the flood of technological advancements that kept us preoccupied and detached. So, the prevalence of "Gen-Z-ism" doesn’t surprise me much. What does surprise me, however, is the lack of political will to change this, irrespective of the party in power.

The book tackles a fundamental issue: the lack of awareness among Indians about their own history. It argues that this void in historical understanding has contributed to India's transformation into the so-called "Workforce of the World." Citizenship is not just about economic participation but about shaping the character and identity of a nation. The book reminds us of the critical step we skipped: holding the reins of our nation to build a collective identity grounded in loyalty and a shared sense of purpose.

What’s truly surprising is that even after 77 years of independence, we still lack the political will to build and develop what we couldn’t in the past, foundational aspects that are vital for a nation especially like Bharat with so rich a culture and so long a history.

This book does an incredible (and noble) job of bringing to this generation the essential history our schools never taught us. Its standout feature is the compilation of key events that are often scattered across multiple books. It systematically covers topics such as the great de-industrialization exercise, the great wealth drain, the many great starvations (so much great about the Raj, and yet we keep complaining), the so-called "Rule of Law" that fostered lawlessness, the un-free press, the Viceroy’s ‘Executive’ Council devoid of any power to execute, the Constituent Assembly that represented nobody, public infrastructure not built for the public, and the ‘Brit Fat Boot’ with which all of this was sustained for over 200 years.

It also sheds light on why India is the way it is today, examining the artificial divides the British Raj created between communities, regions, and religions that were once harmonious, peaceful, thriving, and wealthy. The book details how a prosperous nation was reduced to poverty under a "Brutish" joint-stock company, introducing landless peasantry, indentured labour, and levels of backwardness to a society that had never experienced it in its 5,000 years (at least) of civilization. Finally, it explores what went wrong with our freedom movement, why the Raj decided India was no longer profitable to rule (a.k.a. how we gained independence), and why Gandhi-ji’s methods, despite him being a Mahatma, were quite impractical and largely ineffective.

While this book is intended as a follow-up to ‘The Speech’, an address that can rightly be called the most iconic of our generation, the ‘Tryst with Destiny’ or ‘I Have a Dream’ of our times, it also serves as a sharp yet Gandhian rebuttal to Raj apologists and imperial sympathizers. By systematically unpacking the events and policies that drained India's wealth and shattered its societal structure, the book makes a compelling case for why the consequences of colonial rule cannot simply be forgotten or excused.

Whether reparations, amounting to trillions of rupees and countless lives, are realistic or not remains a matter of debate. However, the least that can be expected, after centuries of exploitation and the suffering of millions, is a sincere acknowledgment of the injustices inflicted. A 'sorry' is long overdue.