<p>The wounds of British rule have come again in the spotlight in 2025. India, once known as the 'bird of gold' for its vast riches, was looted for 200 years by the British&mdash;and the bill is quite high.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Economic cost of Colonialism&nbsp;</h2>
<p>A new Oxfam report states that between 1765 and 1900, the British empire looted $64.82 trillion from India. Of this, $33.8 trillion went straight into the pockets of the richest 10 per cent of Britons. In 1750, India&rsquo;s share of global industrial output stood at a whopping 25 per cent. By 1900, that number dwindled to a mere 2 per cent &ndash; the direct result of British protectionist practices that wreaked havoc on India&rsquo;s flourishing textile industry.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This systemic destruction was the first step taken to exploit India at the colonial level, thus setting an imbalance that still bears weight today. Oxfam has gone on to further detail the plunder inflicted by Britain on India's economy.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Human cost of Colonialism&nbsp;</h2>
<p>The Oxfam report also highlights the devastating human toll of British rule in India. Between 1891 and 1920, 59 million excess deaths were recorded due to famine, disease, and poverty exacerbated by colonial policies. &nbsp;The most tragic example of this is the 1943 Bengal famine where India lost over 3 million individuals through widespread famine.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Such inhumane acts permanently altered the health of the country. Higher rates of obesity and diabetes start becoming a common theme among the younger population, all thanks to the metabolic changes that were enforced on the Indian population due to famines. These horrifying events stay as proof of the long-lasting trauma colonial policies have left on India and its people.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Colonialism in modern times&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Oxfam&rsquo;s report highlights the ongoing global inequities rooted in colonialism. The global south, including India, continues to face economic exploitation through multinational corporations&mdash;direct legacies of colonialism. These corporations dominate global supply chains, benefiting from cheap labor while profits flow to the global north.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The report also criticises institutions like the World Trade Organization for failing to address the systemic disadvantages faced by the global south. According to the report, colonialism&rsquo;s grip hasn&rsquo;t loosened&mdash;it&rsquo;s simply evolved into a new form of exploitation.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

Business & Economy, the British empire looted $64.82 trillion from India. Of this, $33.8 trillion went straight into the pockets of the richest 10 per cent of Britons, The Oxfam report also highlights the devastating human toll of British rule in India. 

The wounds of British rule have come again in the spotlight in 2025. India, once known as the 'bird of gold' for its vast riches, was looted for 200 years by the British—and the bill is quite high. Economic cost of Colonialism A new Oxfam report states that between 1765 and 1900, the British empire looted $64.82 trillion from India. Of this, $33.8 trillion went straight into the pockets of the richest 10 per cent of Britons. In 1750, India’s share of global industrial output stood at a whopping 25 per cent. By 1900, that number dwindled to a mere 2 per cent – the direct result of British protectionist practices that wreaked havoc on India’s flourishing textile industry. This systemic destruction was the first step taken to exploit India at the colonial level, thus setting an imbalance that still bears weight today. Oxfam has gone on to further detail the plunder inflicted by Britain on India's economy. Human cost of Colonialism The Oxfam report also highlights the devastating human toll of British rule in India. Between 1891 and 1920, 59 million excess deaths were recorded due to famine, disease, and poverty exacerbated by colonial policies. The most tragic example of this is the 1943 Bengal famine where India lost over 3 million individuals through widespread famine. Such inhumane acts permanently altered the health of the country. Higher rates of obesity and diabetes start becoming a common theme among the younger population, all thanks to the metabolic changes that were enforced on the Indian population due to famines. These horrifying events stay as proof of the long-lasting trauma colonial policies have left on India and its people. Colonialism in modern times Oxfam’s report highlights the ongoing global inequities rooted in colonialism. The global south, including India, continues to face economic exploitation through multinational corporations—direct legacies of colonialism. These corporations dominate global supply chains, benefiting from cheap labor while profits flow to the global north. The report also criticises institutions like the World Trade Organization for failing to address the systemic disadvantages faced by the global south. According to the report, colonialism’s grip hasn’t loosened—it’s simply evolved into a new form of exploitation.

Oxfam report: India’s stolen wealth could carpet London 4 times over

<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will soon begin a diplomatic campaign to reclaim the Kohinoor diamond and thousands of other treasures taken by Britain during their centuries-long colonial exploits in the Indian subcontinent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The diplomatic campaign is reportedly dubbed as "reckoning with the past" and is set to be the largest repatriation claim faced by the United Kingdom.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It is of huge importance to the government. The thrust of this effort to repatriate India's artifacts comes from the personal commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has made it a major priority," Govind Mohan, secretary for India's culture ministry, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Diplomats in London will make formal requests to institutions holding artifacts seized as spoils of war or collected by enthusiasts during the colonial rule. The process is due to begin this year, The Telegraph report added.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>India's reckoning with colonial history: Return of Koh-i-noor in particular focus</strong></h2>

<p>The Indian government's goal is to secure the return of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, one of the Crown Jewels currently held by the recently crowned King Charles III.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The British Royal family has been in possession of the Kohinoor since 1849 CE, ever since a 10-year-old boy King,&nbsp;Maharaja Duleep Singh was forced to sign the Treaty of Lahore in 1849. Queen Victoria wore the Kohinoor as a brooch.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/opinion-who-does-the-kohinoor-belong-to-589189">Opinion | Who does the Kohinoor belong to?</a></strong></p>

<p>Till this date, sections of British media just like Britain's history books state that the Kohinoor was a gift for Britain from India or that "it was handed over to the East India Company".</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-who-glorified-britains-colonial-tyranny-in-charless-coronation-589825">Who glorified Britain's colonial tyranny in Charles's coronation?</a></strong></p>

<p>But a crucial omission from the British version of Kohinoor's history remains that the British took it from a 10-year-old boy king, when his mother was a prisoner of the British. India's historians in past have unanimously pointed out with documentary evidence that Kohinoor went to the British from India under "colonial coercion".&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Kohinoor, Amaravati Marbles: What did the British take from India?</strong></h2>

<p>While Kohinoor is widely perceived as a symbol of British colonial conquest in the Indian subcontinent, it is just the tip of the iceberg of total wealth drained from the region by the Raj.</p>

<p>In terms of monetary value, Britain drained a total of nearly $45 trillion worth of wealth from India during the period 1765 to 1938, according to economist Utsa Patnaik’s 2018 research.&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;Koh-i-noor diamond a 'symbol of conquest' in new display of Crown Jewels</b></p>

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<p>Apart from the Kohinoor, Taimur's Ruby, Gem-encrusted tiger head owned by Tipu Sultan, Tipu Sultan's Tiger, Amaravati Marbles, Lord Harihara idol, Shah Jahan's wine cups, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne, and a number of artifacts depicting Hindu gods have been kept by the British.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"If it belonged to us, and it is somewhere else, then it should be returned to us. The right place for someone’s property is with them," an official source was quoted as saying by the British.</p>

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will soon begin a diplomatic campaign to reclaim the Kohinoor diamond and thousands of other treasures taken by Britain during their centuries-long colonial exploits in the Indian subcontinent.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will soon begin a diplomatic campaign to reclaim the Kohinoor diamond and thousands of other treasures taken by Britain during their centuries-long colonial exploits in the Indian subcontinent. The diplomatic campaign is reportedly dubbed as "reckoning with the past" and is set to be the largest repatriation claim faced by the United Kingdom. "It is of huge importance to the government. The thrust of this effort to repatriate India's artifacts comes from the personal commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has made it a major priority," Govind Mohan, secretary for India's culture ministry, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. Diplomats in London will make formal requests to institutions holding artifacts seized as spoils of war or collected by enthusiasts during the colonial rule. The process is due to begin this year, The Telegraph report added. India's reckoning with colonial history: Return of Koh-i-noor in particular focus The Indian government's goal is to secure the return of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, one of the Crown Jewels currently held by the recently crowned King Charles III. The British Royal family has been in possession of the Kohinoor since 1849 CE, ever since a 10-year-old boy King, Maharaja Duleep Singh was forced to sign the Treaty of Lahore in 1849. Queen Victoria wore the Kohinoor as a brooch. ALSO READ | Opinion | Who does the Kohinoor belong to? Till this date, sections of British media just like Britain's history books state that the Kohinoor was a gift for Britain from India or that "it was handed over to the East India Company". ALSO READ | Who glorified Britain's colonial tyranny in Charles's coronation? But a crucial omission from the British version of Kohinoor's history remains that the British took it from a 10-year-old boy king, when his mother was a prisoner of the British. India's historians in past have unanimously pointed out with documentary evidence that Kohinoor went to the British from India under "colonial coercion". Kohinoor, Amaravati Marbles: What did the British take from India? While Kohinoor is widely perceived as a symbol of British colonial conquest in the Indian subcontinent, it is just the tip of the iceberg of total wealth drained from the region by the Raj. In terms of monetary value, Britain drained a total of nearly $45 trillion worth of wealth from India during the period 1765 to 1938, according to economist Utsa Patnaik’s 2018 research. ALSO WATCH | Koh-i-noor diamond a 'symbol of conquest' in new display of Crown Jewels × Apart from the Kohinoor, Taimur's Ruby, Gem-encrusted tiger head owned by Tipu Sultan, Tipu Sultan's Tiger, Amaravati Marbles, Lord Harihara idol, Shah Jahan's wine cups, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne, and a number of artifacts depicting Hindu gods have been kept by the British. "If it belonged to us, and it is somewhere else, then it should be returned to us. The right place for someone’s property is with them," an official source was quoted as saying by the British. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

India’s PM Modi eyes return of Kohinoor, thousands of other treasures from Britain

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Oxfam report: India’s stolen wealth could carpet London 4 times over

India’s PM Modi eyes return of Kohinoor, thousands of other treasures from Britain