{"id":108619,"date":"2026-07-18T06:19:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T06:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/18\/economists-historians-and-legal-experts-call-for-deeper-national-conversation-on-indias-british-colonial-legacy\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T06:19:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T06:19:02","slug":"economists-historians-and-legal-experts-call-for-deeper-national-conversation-on-indias-british-colonial-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/18\/economists-historians-and-legal-experts-call-for-deeper-national-conversation-on-indias-british-colonial-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Economists, Historians and Legal Experts Call for Deeper National Conversation on India\u2019s British Colonial Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

L To R \u2013 PK Basu, Chandini Jaswal, Moderator, Prof Prabhu Mohapatra, Divya Bhatia and Colin Gonsalves<\/em><\/p>\n

New Delhi [India], July 18: <\/strong>\u00a0India\u2019s evolving relationship with the United Kingdom should be understood not only through the lens of trade and diplomacy, but through a deeper reckoning with the countries\u2019 shared colonial history and its lasting legacy. That was the central thread running through\u00a0Terms of Trade: India, Britain, and the Long Shadow of Empire<\/em><\/strong>, a public dialogue convened by Urzu Media at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi \u2014 a conversation that culminated in a call to establish a\u00a0National Day of Commemoration for Victims of Colonialism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Closing the dialogue, all the experts and dignitaries announced its intention to begin wider consultations, with historians, academics, civil society organisations, museums, public institutions and policymakers, to establish a\u00a0National Day of Commemoration for Victims of Colonialism<\/strong>, with the specific date to be finalised through this same consultative process.<\/p>\n

The event closed with an interactive discussion involving policymakers, academics, students, media professionals and members of civil society in the audience.<\/p>\n

While CETA provided the immediate context for the conversation, speakers agreed that understanding the historical relationship between the two countries is equally essential to building a mature, informed and equitable partnership going forward.<\/p>\n

The panel featured\u00a0Dr. Charan Singh<\/strong>\u00a0(CEO & Founder Director, EGROW Foundation),\u00a0Prof. Abhijit Das<\/strong>\u00a0(International Trade Policy & WTO Expert),\u00a0Prasenjit K. Basu<\/strong>\u00a0(Economist & Historian, author of\u00a0Asia Reborn<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0India Reborn<\/em>),\u00a0Prof. Prabhu Mohapatra<\/strong>\u00a0(Retd. Professor & Head, Department of History, Delhi University),\u00a0Colin Gonsalves<\/strong>\u00a0(Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; Founder, Human Rights Law Network), and\u00a0Chandini Jaswal<\/strong>\u00a0(Communications Team Member, The Museum of British Colonialism, UK\u2013Kenya), moderated by\u00a0Richa Jain Kallra<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The event also featured a special presentation by\u00a0Vijay Kumar Sundaresan<\/strong>, Co-Founder of the India Pride Project, who spoke about the organisation\u2019s work tracing and repatriating India\u2019s stolen artefacts, and the broader cultural and historical impact of that effort.<\/p>\n

Across the discussion, speakers examined colonialism through multiple lenses, economic extraction, labour and migration history, legal and constitutional legacy, public history and museums, and collective memory.<\/p>\n

The discussion brought together economists, historians, trade-policy experts, and a leading human rights lawyer to examine how nearly two centuries of colonial rule shaped India\u2019s economy, institutions, industries, legal systems and public memory, and how that history continues to inform the country\u2019s contemporary policy choices.<\/p>\n

A recurring theme was that colonial rule was not merely a political episode, but a transformative force that reshaped India\u2019s economic trajectory, governance structures, industries and social fabric. Several speakers reflected on how a clearer historical understanding can inform better policymaking, stronger public institutions, and a fuller public appreciation of India\u2019s journey since Independence.<\/p>\n

What speakers said?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Das while addressing the audience said, \u201cToday, the focus of a trade deal extends beyond physical resources to data, the \u201cnew oil\u201d of the digital age.\u201d He cautioned that India is a huge source of data and unrestricted access to Indian data under such agreements could have serious long-term implications for India\u2019s economic sovereignty and strategic interests. \u201cWe would like India data to be used for creating national digital champions, which can only be done if Indian data is exclusively shared with Indian players,<\/em>\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Singh was also critical about the recently trade agreement between the two nations. He said nothing has changed since Britishers landed in 1600s as traders, today they are again coming in India as traders. \u201cThe per capita income of Britain today is around US$ 15,000, while per capita income of an Indian today is US$ 2,880. When East India Company came to India we were accounting for 25 per cent of world GDP, when they left us we were at that point of time 1 per cent of global GDP. Today we are 4 per cent of global GDP. So, it does not provide a level playing field. The agreement would allow the UK to dictate the terms of trade, leaving India with little choice but to accept conditions that primarily serve British interests.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonsalves criticized the government\u2019s handling of the proposed trade agreement, alleging a lack of transparency in the negotiation process. He said the government had not made the text of the treaty public, arguing that such agreements should be debated and ratified by Parliament, as citizens have a right to know the commitments being made on their behalf. He noted that, in his view, the British government places trade treaties before Parliament for discussion, describing this as an established democratic practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Basu supported the India\u2013UK Free Trade Agreement, describing it as a beneficial arrangement for both countries. He argued that the pact would boost India\u2019s exports and create new economic opportunities.<\/p>\n

Chandni highlighted that the United Kingdom \u00a0proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) should not be part of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement as it could have affect on certain Indian exports and also developing countries like India have a limited impact on global climate change<\/p>\n

One point several speakers returned to was the fragmented state of India\u2019s colonial memory. India already commemorates significant episodes tied to colonial rule, among them Jallianwala Bagh, the famines, the freedom movement and Partition, but these are typically remembered as separate events rather than as connected chapters of one history.<\/p>\n

The discussion explored what role universities, museums, archives, civil society and the media could play in helping future generations engage with this history through research, evidence and open public dialogue, rather than through commemoration alone.<\/p>\n

The proposed day is envisioned as an inclusive platform for remembrance, one that recognises India\u2019s colonial experience as a set of interconnected histories, spanning economic exploitation, famine, displacement, cultural loss, and the long arc of resistance and freedom struggles, rather than a single, isolated event.<\/p>\n

The proposal has already begun generating interest beyond the roundtable itself, with early conversations underway across institutions and civil society groups engaged with India\u2019s colonial history. Urzu Media said it hopes historians, institutions, civil society organisations and members of the public will continue to lend their support to the cause as the proposal moves forward.<\/p>\n

The event closed with an interactive discussion involving policymakers, academics, students, media professionals and members of civil society in the audience.<\/p>\n

If you object to the content of this press release, please notify us at pr.error.rectification@gmail.com. We will respond and rectify the situation within 24 hours.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

L To R \u2013 PK Basu, Chandini Jaswal, Moderator, Prof Prabhu Mohapatra, Divya Bhatia and Colin Gonsalves New Delhi [India], July 18: \u00a0India\u2019s evolving relationship with the United Kingdom should be understood not only through the lens of trade and diplomacy, but through a deeper reckoning with the countries\u2019 shared colonial history and its lasting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":108620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[129],"class_list":["post-108619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianweekend.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}