Within the wake of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, audiences have been dazzled by pictures of the crown of the Queen Mom, which is on show within the Tower of London. However the imperial majestic crown isn’t completely because it seems – for it incorporates inside its bejewelled arches and ornate framework a 105-carat gemstone diamond that represents the brutality and callousness of the British empire.
The Queen’s passing marks an opportune second to lastly draw a line below the scars of the previous and to indicate fact and reconciliation between the ruler and the dominated.
That Queen Elizabeth comported herself with outstanding grace and admirable conduct whereas on the throne, devotion to the general public and an virtually tangible sense of serenity, good humour and compassion, is with out query. However inside hours of the announcement of her demise, tens of 1000’s of tweets in regards to the crown jewels had the time period “Kohinoor” trending in India. There may be good cause for that.
No Indian – no individual of color – might ever doubt her sincerity and indefatigability, however very similar to her reign itself, her actions remained largely ceremonial. She was reserved inside her function, when she might have completed far more. And now, the imperial crown will probably be worn as soon as once more, this time by the brand new Queen Consort – Camilla – as King Charles III undergoes his coronation. She shouldn’t.
That the Kohinoor nonetheless stays inside that crown to my thoughts impugns the credibility, ethical fibre and supposed benevolence of the royal household. And it’ll do in perpetuity till it rightly leaves British shores.
Retaining the jewel, which has been on the centre of political and authorized controversy in India amid disputes over its possession for years, represents a dehumanisation of the colonised; permitting for prejudice to manifest for generations to come back. It acts as an apologia for the racial supremacy of a (fortunately) crumbled empire, permitting a wounded island post-Brexit to cling onto illusory victories and a misbegotten sense of nationalism.
That Queen Elizabeth II was shrewd sufficient to make sure her reign was at all times largely ceremonial permitted her to seem unimpeachable as former colonies extirpated themselves from the yolk of imperialism.
So far as the Kohinoor was involved, the Queen steered away from interfering with sustaining the optics of empire; and – by affiliation – the reign that plucked it from a Sikh kingdom by way of the arms of an 11-year-old Maharajah.
If ever one solitary jewel might characterize the exploitation, looting and slavery that the British empire participated in throughout its time in India, it will be the Kohinoor diamond. It represents the spoils of a bygone period. Of what use is it now within the arms or on the top of the Queen Consort?
Among the most brutal acts of British colonialism occurred after the Queen had already ascended the throne, such because the focus camps in Kenya the place the Mau Mau freedom fighters have been tortured. And any expressions of remorse regarding the Jallianwala Bagh bloodbath of 1919 have been negated by her husband querying the physique rely and thus too the depths of depravity of the brutality that galvanised the Indian nationalist motion.
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King Charles III, a person not precisely circumspect in issues of political expediency or geopolitical affect and lobbying, might effectively be positioned to deal with this elephant within the room (or the jewel within the crown, if you’ll): the return of the Kohinoor diamond.
This could go some strategy to addressing the crimes of empire and the systematic callous looting of a nation that was one of many wealthiest on the planet at the moment.
The royal household traditionally turned away from the egregious theft that typified the empire’s time in India and might solely beg for forgiveness. Historical past can’t be erased, however returning the diamond may erase the darkness that rises from the imperial crown each time it’s wheeled out.
It’s offensive. It’s a rebuke to all individuals of color who’ve been colonised. It’s time to put the Kohinoor diamond again the place it belongs.
Saurav Dutt is an creator, political analyst and a script physician
