India keen to talk with Britain for return of colonial era objects

New Delhi

Indian government is keen to begin talks with the United Kingdom over repatriation of objects taken from the country during the colonial era beginning with “cooperation in manuscripts”, said a report in Politico citing an unnamed Indian government representative.

According to the representative, India's culture secretary Govind Mohan is focussed on the 'low-hanging fruits' first.

India has begun approaching countries that might have antiquities taken by force or looted during colonial times.

India is hoping for “a process of retrieval of antiquities through bilateral cooperation and partnership, in a manner consistent with existing international arrangements,” said the representative as quoted by Politico.

Whenever there is talk of looting of colonial-era artifacts and gems, the legendary Kohinoor diamond is almost always mentioned. The priceless gem, once the biggest diamond in the world, was given to Queen Victoria by East India Company after it annexed Punjab and is now among Britain's crown jewels.

During his coronation earlier this month, King Charles III eschewed it for other gems after India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it "brings back painful memories of the colonial past".

According to a report by Politico last week, India wants "a suitable dialogue" and "result-oriented conversation around the Kohinoor diamond and about return of other objects taken from temples".

Not the first time

This is not the first time a country would be in dialogue with Britain about colonial-era artifacts.

The British Museum is currently in talks with Greece for possible sharing of Parthenon marbles.

India and the UK are currently negotiating a trade deal. It is expected that UK PM Rishi Sunak would meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of G7 Summit. It is expected that both leaders will talk about the deal and other bilateral issues. 

India has also placed the repatriation of antiquities on this agenda in G20. India holds presidency of G20 summit this year.

“India remains committed to work with international partners in building holistic and cooperative ties,” said the Indian government representative, “in which our shared history is an important pillar, but not the only one.”

The representative was quoted by the Politico.

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