A little bit of history doesn't hurt. Funny that some people here who had seen the declassified notes of the British PM Harold Wilson – just like anybody with an internet connection – seem to take them at face value. That is the independence of Mauritius was automatic and SSR loved to be called Premier. They seem to think that the Leader of the LP came to the negotiation table mostly unprepared. SSR and unprepared??? He also took his General Secretary to London even though that guy had lost his seat in the 1963 general elections. By 96 votes. Probably to cheer the latter up as he'd always wanted to go to Trafalgar Square.
Fortunately, India has fast caught up with the economic power of its oppressor and is now even a much larger economy than the UK. Oppressors yield far more power than we think though. Like a category of oppressed still believing in the superiority of their masters. See, I’ve never heard of any freedom fighter accepting knighthood from the very oppressor he fought against.... SSR kept priding himself of being a Fabian and it would have been interesting to note his reaction as Tharoor ripped apart the myth that Britain and Churchhill were hardline democrats. To note, that Churchill was also a Fabian.
ReplyDeleteWonder when he was knighted. Also they could have come up with new decorations. But it is possible that there was not enough consensus on the issue. For sure they had other things to do. And thank god they focused their energy on solving real problems. Am sure SSR knew of the famine in Bengal and other horrible acts perpetrated by the British. Which is why they thought so hard for independence.
ReplyDeleteI also remember the speech of my dad to his supporters at the airport after his visit to Buckingham Palace. He said it was not that important to him but it was important to have it in 1980s Mauritius.