The impact of British imperialism across the world

Like it or not, nearly 2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies and English is the most widely spoken language in the world. Without being judgmental, award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera gives the reader an honest ringside view of the British Empire’s influence on the world and the views of the inhabitants of the countries that it ruled for centuries in Empireworld. Right from the tea plantations across the globe to environmental destruction, growing non-native invasive plants in colonies to Kew Gardens’ key role in the transportation of plants across the world to fill the empire’s coffers. The author goes full hog in the past, present, and future.

There are some striking similarities between certain century-old tree-lined roads, iron bridges, colonial buildings, open playgrounds, and railway stations in India and London. Britain’s imperial legacy continues to crop up in every nook and corner of the former British colonies — India, Nigeria, Barbados, and Mauritius. The ghosts of slavery, white supremacy, and the divisive policy of the British are not spared in Sathnam’s astute and easy writing style. But in the same breath, the author also points out the efforts of ‘decolonisation’ by right-wing leaders, including the “war on the English language.” The author points out the practical challenges if English were to be removed from everyday usage in a vast and diverse country like India. Like it or not, right from road signs, advertisements, radio jingles, TV and movie scripts, English is a part and parcel of people’s lives. There are sections of the book that can be a bit uncomfortable, but it forces you to think since the author supports his arguments with his wit, lucid writing, political analysis, and painstaking research. Sathnam was born in Wolverhampton after his parents moved from India to England.

The book touches upon racism, the importance of democracy, atrocities committed by the British, and the skewed sense of supremacy that the white ruling masters had over their subjects. He says in the book: “The longer a country was administered by the British, the more likely it was to have sustained democracy after independence.” The book ruffles many feathers but it is important, especially in today’s polarised times that the world is living in.