Only In India

IT SEEMS LIKE A small section of Indians continue to suffer from an extreme case of colonial hangover. This January, the Hindu Sena, a far-right Hindu outfit known for its bizarre displays of nationalism, commemorated the 118th death anniversary of Queen Victoria with the firm belief that she freed India from Islamic ‘invaders’.

- Saptak Choudhury

They even held a celebration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Speaking to VICE, Hindu Sena founder and national president Vishnu Gupta explained that the atrocities committed by the British pale in comparison to those by Muslim invaders. Gupta added that the Britishers looted us “a little bit”. To the tune of $45 trillion (`3,131 trillion) ‘only’, between 1765 and 1938, if a recent study is to be believed. The absolute shocker, though, was Gupta’s claim that Queen Victoria granted us loktantra (democracy). With such geniuses routinely crawling out of the woodwork, who needs public intellectuals? Source: VICE