White Mughals, the True Carriers of “White Men’s” Burden
White Mughals, the true carriers of “white men’s” burden
Take up the White Man 's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives ' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
- Rudyard Kipling
Although the British directly ruled India for only 90 years, British imperialism in India had tremendous impact on many levels of the society. The British brought with them Western customs and culture. Many Indians sought to imitate them by speaking English, playing cricket and having afternoon tea. Yet the effects the British brought were deeper and more complicated than just this. British presence introduced into India western values and social dynamics. This process of colonialism and imperialism is often depicted in a derogatory manner. Kipling’s poem, the White Man’s Burden captured the imperial and racist attitude of that age. It was the white man’s burden to colonize and rule other less developed nations for the benefit of not only the mother country but also the indigenous people. It was the white man’s obligation to educate and foster the cultural development of colored people until they have fully assimilated to the ‘civilized society’ of the West. Because of its theme and title, Kipling’s poem became the emblem for Eurocentric racism and reinforced the idea of cultural backwardness of people from non-white ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is not very surprising to find that the British Imperialists are reviled in popular media for their conceited notion of superiority. It is also understandable that historians have written extensively over the exploitations of imperialistic policies. Yet, under all the “narrow-minded, ramrod-backed sahib in a sola topee and bristling moustache, dressing for dinner despite the heat, while raising a disdainful nose at both the people and the culture of India,” there were great many Englishmen, in the
Take up the White Man 's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives ' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
- Rudyard Kipling
Although the British directly ruled India for only 90 years, British imperialism in India had tremendous impact on many levels of the society. The British brought with them Western customs and culture. Many Indians sought to imitate them by speaking English, playing cricket and having afternoon tea. Yet the effects the British brought were deeper and more complicated than just this. British presence introduced into India western values and social dynamics. This process of colonialism and imperialism is often depicted in a derogatory manner. Kipling’s poem, the White Man’s Burden captured the imperial and racist attitude of that age. It was the white man’s burden to colonize and rule other less developed nations for the benefit of not only the mother country but also the indigenous people. It was the white man’s obligation to educate and foster the cultural development of colored people until they have fully assimilated to the ‘civilized society’ of the West. Because of its theme and title, Kipling’s poem became the emblem for Eurocentric racism and reinforced the idea of cultural backwardness of people from non-white ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is not very surprising to find that the British Imperialists are reviled in popular media for their conceited notion of superiority. It is also understandable that historians have written extensively over the exploitations of imperialistic policies. Yet, under all the “narrow-minded, ramrod-backed sahib in a sola topee and bristling moustache, dressing for dinner despite the heat, while raising a disdainful nose at both the people and the culture of India,” there were great many Englishmen, in the
Bibliography: Dalrymple, William. White Mughals Love & Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India. London: Flamingo, 2002.