British colonialism ended in India in 1947 after a period of 190 years. It was their control over the region that paved the way to modernization, with a major impact on the arts, culture and architecture. This paper aims to emphasize the rise of Anglo Indian culture under the British influence, focusing on a particular object, sound and image.
The Indian Railways are the most notable legacy of the British. In public and government building, the scale was often deliberately grand to reflect and promote a notion of a British Empire that is invincible and unchallengeable. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus was formerly Victoria Terminus and is one of India’s busiest stations. The station is built in Victorian Italianate Gothic and has been adapted for Indian context. The turrets, archways, and eccentric floor plans are inspired by the traditional Indian architecture. The entrance gates have lions and tigers carved into the columns. The British deliberately incorporated Indian elements into the architecture so that it would be more popular with the people.
The Indians, however, used the railways to travel quickly from one province to another. This helped to cement relationships and bind the nation together. Tea Adverts in the 1920-1940s Tea has been India’s favorite beverage for so long that it was named its “national drink”.
In the 1820s, the British East India Company began producing large quantities of tea in Assam for export to Europe and America. The tea market dropped dramatically around the turn to the new century. This left growers with a surplus worth over 100 millions pounds. In order to increase their market in India, the British wanted Indians to become addicted to “Chai”. Freedom fighters such as Gandhi were very critical of the British, calling it a poisonous intoxicant.
To change public perception, Tea Propagandists in motorized tea vans were dispatched to distribute thousands of free cup of tea. The vehicles displayed colorful vernacular signs created by top commercial artists that depict Indians drinking British tea from Chinese teacups. These eye-catching pictures show women making tea and drinking it in colorful clothing, some of them even westernized. For example, the Indian traditional sari was draped over a blouse from the west. The Indian mentality has been used to show the British as an ‘elite culture’. This image is then inserted into the minds of these women, who are shown drinking tea. Chai is a beverage which is often associated with India. It combines English Tea, Indian Spices and traditional English Tea.
SoundBritish bands and musicians have left an indelible mark on India’s conservative music form, Carnatic. Muthuswami dikshitar, Thyagaraja and other Carnatic musicians were attracted by British melodies. Dikshitar listened to a British ensemble and was so influenced by it that he came up with 39 compositions containing Sankrit words in Western C Major scale. This corresponds to Shankarabharana Raaga scale of Carnatic Music. This set is called Nottuswaras.
These compositions have no traditional ornamentations or melodies. Baluswami dikshitar’s brother was the very first violinist in Carnatic to incorporate violin. Muthuswami reportedly kept the notes plain to help his younger brother master the Violin. The famous song ‘Santatam Pahimam Sangeeta Shyamale” is a popular rendition of ‘God Save The Queen”. The composition shows the contrast in the tunes, which are lighthearted and the lyrics that are traditional. The song also has a different translation than the God Saves the Queen: “Goddess Protect me”.
ConclusionIndian culture has been protected and preserved for centuries. Rabindranath said that clouds do not bring rain to India anymore, they add color to sunset skies. Art is about embracing external influences. The British were only a brief period in India’s history, but they have become part of Indian culture, just as the clouds in a sunset sky.
