Remember the Maharajas

Today is the diamond anniversary of the Independence of India. The independence created, India and Pakistan, the latter with a western and eastern part, of which the latter today is Bangladesh.

India was not proclaimed republic before 1950, but it was with independence that the princely states were forced to become part of either of the centralized states of India and Pakistan.

The Wilsonian principle of self-determination meant not only the end of colonialism, but also outright centralized democratic republicanism.

One could also wonder how "freedom from colonialism" is used consciously and unconsciously to legitimize power. When I was in India a couple of years ago, a "professional" tourist guide failed to be able to talk civilized with me about the title of "Emperor of India" under the British Raj. In any case, the Coronation Durbar in Delhi seems to be getting a revival – at least as a tourist attraction. Please see pictures from the site below from August of 2005.

Please also feel free to see a piece of mine on India published today (in Norwegian).