Report of the Lifestyles of the British in India during the British

Raj 1858 1947

The period of Indias British occupation has often been stereotyped as one
of perpetual luxury, wealth and pleasure. Extravagant living, expensive
commodities and elaborate dwellings with servants permeate the image of
the British Ra. Even though these may be the cases in many instances, it
should not distract from the periods of political confusion, the strains put
on family life and extreme racism towards both the British and Indian!
concepts that have been mas"ed by the fa#ade of Imperialist wealth and
grander living in comparison to the $grey atmosphere of Britain. This
report aims to reveal a sense of living within the Ra after the %utiny of
&'() and thus convey an idea as to the turmoil and pressures of
administrators and their families, despite living in such opulence.
Occupations within the Raj
*fter the Indian %utiny of &'(), precautions were underta"en by the
British in ensuring the security of British rule in India. The +overnor,
+enerals were replaced with a singular -iceroy, answerable only to the
British +overnment. Europeans soon dominated the previously native
maorities within the army! $sepoys being the main infiltrator of the
violence with debate being over whether it was the European,Indian ratio
of one in seven which was an inevitable origin of the revolt. .evertheless,
India soon adopted a hierarchy, not unli"e the democratic structures of
Britain. Beneath the -iceroy were administrators, or Indian /ivil 0ervice,
followed by +overnors and 1istrict 2fficers. 3ntil &4&) with the %ontagu
1eclaration, these positions had been dominated by British elitists! with
the 1eclaration, the policy of $dyarchy ensured that Indians had maority
in local official positions, control over domestic affairs such as education
and health. Below the administrative positions, the army were "ey to
British rule, enforcing co,operation, ustice and, if needed, action to
oppressive violence. Below still were the merchants and businessmen,
those who continued to use India as a source of revenue. 1isparagingly
named $box,wallahs, businessmen had little impact within the
administration of the Ra, but were nevertheless wealthy, if not necessarily
as dominating figures on Indian mar"ets, as 0imon 0mith claims, due to
the sheer si5e of Indias industrial practices. 1espite 0miths view, both
planters and businessmen suffered with immense loss of profit in the
nationalist boycotts of British cloth and produce in &46( and within
+andhis non cooperation movement. This contrastingly suggesting that
the British did have influence upon the Indian mar"ets! losses accounted
to over one third of profit.
%any revisionist historians have perceived the British rule after the %utiny
as more oppressive and extensive. Even though structurally this can be
seen as viable, for more administration would mean more control, figures
such as 1istrict 2fficers were merely $tax collectors, only enforcing ustice
when necessary and moreover, $waving the flag. * prominent photograph
of the time shows a young officer dispersing wisdom to an isolated
community, inferring that the British changes in administrative structure
1
were also, as well as ensuring security, important in unifying even the
most remote areas of India with the most important cities.
%uch li"e Indias caste system, claims 7.8 Buda, the British adopted a
$untouchable, or $outsider class. 9lanters were deemed as $fiercely
independent, engulfed by Indias poverty, industry and business over the
luxuries the elitist classes experienced. 0imilarly, missionaries, allowed in
India since &'&:, had $turned their bac"s on the Ra by delivering $+ods
word to the smallest of areas, intent on mixing with local communities in
an attempt to covert them to /hristianity. Through doing so, missionaries
opposed the $racially superior status that other emigrated Britons
possessed, and furthermore, were more involved with the natives than
many others permitted themselves to become.
*s well as the administrative Britons, those who married or were related
to them, and British traders, Buda highlights another dimension of the
Indias society who in one sense, did not have occupations in India, nor
became a "ey part of Indian life. Those born into *nglo,Indian families,
often of three of four generations, remained attached to India, despite
education ta"en in Britain! returning to India, or staying on after their
terms of service or indeed after Independence in &4;). In the &4';
miniseries adaptation of %.% 8ayes $The <ar 9avilions, this is obviously
the case and within it, demonstrates the attitude towards *nglo,Indians=
even though to native Indians it is hard to specify whether *nglo,Indians
were accepted due to the association with native culture or rebu"ed
because of it, the film demonstrated their ostracism and persecution by
the British. The character of +eorge +arforth comments on how, because
of a half,caste mother and illegitimate birth, Britons $loo"ed and
whispered and sniggered and how $.o,one in there spo"e to me. Even
though this is fictional, it does describe the psychologically detrimental
impact of not only racism, but differentiating from conventional British
society, inferring that lifestyles for many *nglo,British in particular, were
not as $cosy as one may initially interpret.
The Viceroy
In the biography of 9amela %ountbatten, the daughter of the last -iceroy
of India, her seventeen year old self describes her own personal duties in
the maintenance of administration. .ot yet eighteen, %ountbatten became
the chief visitor of the Imperial school! in control of a community clinic
that must be maintained! ma"ing contact with student nationalist leaders
pending release! and dealing with the five,hundred and fifty,five servants
of the -iceroys compound, as well as their families, e>uating to over one
thousand persons. *gain, despite the luxuries that the -iceroy and his
family encountered, it demonstrates that life was not necessarily as
peaceful and care,free as stereotypes of British India present= even the
youngest members were encompassed in the gruelling tas" of
administration.
Even the -iceroys 9alace, claims %ountbatten, was ?presumably >uite
impressive ust to come and see and go away again, but a complete
headache to live in@. 0imilarly, it was ?harder to get used to telling
2
someone what to do@, and within a servants account, a daughter of the
-iceroy was expected to hit her servants as a sign of authority.
%ountbattens shoc"ed retaliation to this reveals how, as the Ra
continued into its latter years, the lifestyles and outloo" of the British
changed= what once would have been seen as a $+od given right in
showing superiority, was now perceived as an immoral act. In speculation,
one might even suggest that +andhis satyagraha, in attempting to gain
British realisation of their initial ills was successful! the account by 9amela
%ountbatten reveals that there was remorse for the actions by previous
Britons as well as showing that the opulence of British India was not only
extraordinary, but alien even to the highest ran"s of British society.
Women in the Raj
Aith the ease of travelling to India through trains and canals and the
increase of missionary activity in India from the late nineteenth century,
an influx of British women appeared in India. Their natures were differing=
some for selfish reasons such as marriage to wealthy officers B or
$husband hunting,, and selfless reasons including maintaining family ties,
nurse wor" and missionary activity. $Cusband hunting occurred amongst
young British women, recently out in society, with the aim of securing a
wealthy husband of higher status. %uch li"e with historic figures such as
Robert /live, many men had gained monetary value due to business or
wor" within India, showing that still, the British perceptions of India and
indeed their lavish lifestyles were determined upon the status of those
returning to Britain wealthy from abroad, coined $nabobs. 0uch
propaganda only revealed the positives of life in India, not the boredom,
extreme heat, lac" of company, racism, and notorious reputations of the
British which India also possessed for the British female.
1ue to the modest dress, strict conventions and rigorous /hristian faith of
the -ictorian female, their impressions of Indian women were derogatory.
Dady +rigg wrote that ?I really thin" I hate the women more than I do the
menE@, naming their faults as being ?semi,civilised F wholly revolting@.
Indian women were the antithesis of the Aestern female! instead of being
a singular wife, %uslim men had $harems! the number of offspring were
greater in number than an upper class Briton would consider! and their
dress was deemed $so rude F shapeless F corsetless@. Thus, the women
were almost seen as an insult to /hristian conventions of modesty, purity
and virtue. Because of these impregnated conventions, British women
were often more racist and $closed minded towards Indian culture.
Dawrence 7ames has pinned women as a more significant aspect of
Aesternisation than British policy due to these strict ideals, as well as
their dependency on propaganda and word of mouth bac" home giving
them an ingrained sense of superiority. *s depicted in $* 9assage To India,
the women claim that= ?Ce Gthe native IndianH can go where he li"es as
long as he doesnt come near me. They give me the creeps.@ and that ?the
"indest thing one can do to a native is to let him die.@ This demonstrates
clearly how the preudices and propaganda infiltrated from Britain through
the press, word of mouth and returning $nabobs had a great impact upon
3
the lifestyles of women in India= unwilling to mix with the natives and
permeated with imperial snobbishness, convinced of their superiority.
<urthermore, this perception of elitist women in India was also
demonstrated by other Britons of the time as well as Indians. .irad
/haudhuri called them $la5y, arrogant ?vixens@ and the $po"er bac"ed
white womanIwhipped up in whalebone. 9iers Brendon denounces them
as $ubi>uitous,I bored, aimless prig with nothing to do but curse the
country, scold her servants , write lettersI play tennis and gossip@. It is
plausible to suggest that, given the evidence from 9amela %ountbattens
horrified account of how the -iceroys daughter was expected to beat her
servants that as the British Ra reached its conclusion, the attitudes of
women changed greatly. *s /hristianity relaxed, womens rights and
independence were beginning to be recognised and dress became more
liberated, so did the attitudes towards Indians, and thus, their lifestyles
and relationships with the natives.
The Indian perspective also demonstrates this initial distain and confusion
over the British female in India. <rom <orsters $* 9assage To India, an
Indian describes the female as having $angular bodies and frec"lesI were
terrible defectsIhow +od could have been so un"ind. Even though one
must remember that many Indians had never seen a Aestern woman,
such first impressions draw parallel to the view perceived by the British
themselves, again providing evidence for the fact that Indian racism
towards the British was e>ually as disparaging as the stereotypical effect
of the imperial British attitude.
.evertheless, 9iers Brendon highlights the views of feminist historians,
describing how women $lac"ed essential wor" and independent role.
0tories of Indian rapaciousness deterred women from learning the
languages, conversing with natives and their male counterparts told them
$stories coloured by lust. The male dominance over British women in India
furthermore prevented their sense of individuality as they became
dependent upon British males for protection. To such feminist historians,
the lifestyles of women in India were tainted and restrained by men.
Brendon however, contradicts this with evidence that other women gained
employment through nurse and missionary wor". In an article published in
The Bury and .orwich 9ost in &'44, an account from a British nurse in
India commented that her patients thought $very little of the doctor who
cannot treat on her own lines after a %ohammedan mother refused to
remove her daughters earrings for treatment. Even though its provenance
as a British newspaper is li"ely to be pro,Empire, it details that Indian
women also had preudices against the Britain, supporting the earlier
point that Indian racism was as much contributory to *nglo,Indian
tensions as British disapprobation.
Children in the Raj
<or all families in British India, children are the ones who have the most
vivid memories of childhood in the Ra. Those born in India were
accustomed to a life of servants and luxuries! to them, little different from
4
growing up in the aristocracy of Britain. In her memoirs, 9hyllis %ay
documented her early years living in India. Di"e any other child, she
remembers small details, $a bespo"e wooden bird painted in bright colours
called a ?coc"y,oly,bird@ and $* hornet stinging meIleft me with a fear of
wasp stings. To these children, a life with servants and luxuries was of no
interest, the position of their parents of no concern, for it was merely the
house they grew up in and the day to day presence of their parents.
Eli5abeth Buettner comments that it was only when these children
returned to Britain that the realisation of their privileged childhood was
recognised, and whiteness was $no longer a symbol of empowerment and
failed to separate GfromHI the wor"ing classes. 0imilarly, other children
were surprised at British conventions! for +eorge Roche, $it seemed
strange thatIthe servants were white. <rom this, the lifestyles of children
were arguable the most affected by living in India for such extensive
periods! upon returning, many were impacted with a great sense of
inferiority and inade>uacy.
Throughout the Ra, especially before transport made ourneying to the
subcontinent faster and more accessible to families, separation was
common. <or many months, wives would be separated from husbands,
children from their parents. Thus, not only did their lifestyles in India and
Britain contrast so greatly, but children were often left alone or with
governesses rather than their parents. 0uch was the case of 9hyllis %ay!
her father returning to India in &4&; and her mother six months later. 1ue
to the impact of war on the ability to travel, %ay and her siblings were
isolated= the older two sent to boarding schools and 9hyllis in the hands of
a governess. It remained thus for six years. 0he recalls that $it cost us all
a great separationI as the submarines had started and no ourneying was
allowed. /omprehension of such separation from ones family is rare even
today and moreover, despite Indias maintenance of influence and material
luxury, there is no doubt that it had detrimental effects upon family
relationships. 3pon her parents return, %ay remembers $%umie and
1addy arriving, 1olly saying ?There they are@. I of course, didnt even
recognise them. %umie was horrified.
There is little doubt that children in India were cared for. 9hotographs
demonstrate many Indian nurses, British governesses, and permanent
maternal figures, all contributing to the everyday life of the child. Duxuries
and commodities would have been ta"en for granted but nevertheless
received. The exotic climate and geography led to child,li"e fantasies! an
idyllic atmosphere of protection and privilege. Cowever, the transportation
between India and Britain put education in eopardy and for many!
governesses were the only source of an education, albeit limited. 0tresses
and strains were inevitably put on family ties during periods of war and
the fact that children such as 9hyllis %ay were unable to remember their
parents faces suggests that regardless of Indias beauty, an Empire was
not built with families in mind.
Racism in the Raj
*s the British education system developed in India, more Indians became
part of the legal system, especially the Indian /ivil 0ervice, often
5
re>uiring being educated in Britain. *s a result, an Indian middle class
emerged. British clothing, eti>uette, language and connections were
established and, as 9iers Brendon >uotes, $cultural harmonisation also
aggravated racial alienation= the irony being that the aim of British
Aesternisation was to create a British society within India, however when
such creations emerged, the British within India began to $insist upon their
own singularity and thus, racism prevailed.
The $club is a prime example, erected to retain solidarity and individuality
from native society. *ttempts were made to recreate the elitist
atmosphere of Dondon society= theatrical productions of $/ousin 8ate and
other popular favourites! Bridge 9arties! 9olo tournaments! the playing of
the national anthem! pianos and Aestern instruments were imported!
libraries filled with copies of $9unch maga5ine and $The Times were
common. Tropical clubs were also reproduced with British gardens with
imports of roses and petunias despite their unsuitability for the Indian
climate. Brendon claims that the aims of these clubs were to become
$homes away from home and in some cases, foreign languages were
prohibited B even the proposal to ban 0cottish , all in a bid to increase
individuality and maintain $Englishmens castles. %enus of *nglo,India
were constructed and in E.% <orsters &4J; novel, $* 9assage to India,
?bottled peas, pseudo,cottage bread, fishI pretending to be plaice, more
bottled peasItrifle, sardines on toast@ present the blea" and pathetic
attempt to regain ones British identity, all in the fear that the rise in
Indian education threatened their situation as $superior. 2f course,
Indians were prohibited from these clubs B aside from ones servants B
although rumours soon spread of a notorious reputation.
1espite being the epitome of British gentility, Brendon calls the
fre>uenters of Imperial clubs $public schoolboys enforcing $rules and
regulations with more than metropolitan severity. %otilal .ehru, a
member of the I/0, once refused an invitation to the *llahabah club,
seeing that $for the sa"e of GhisH own race, it was best if Indians were not
a part of the British snobbery. Racially abusing servants, fighting,
drun"enness, the destruction of property and, in the case of R*< pilots
stationed in India during the 0econd Aorld Aar, a $9rang /oncerto ending
with $the complete demolition of the piano, were fre>uent hooliganisms by
British snobbery. <urthermore, such brutish behaviour being present even
in the early years of the Ra undoubtedly proved to many educated
Indians than the British were not the governing force of a superior race
even before the horrors of the <irst Aorld Aar, stimulating a nationalist
identity before &4&;. Both E.% <orster and 9iers Brendon support this,
believing that $.ever in history did ill,breeding contribute so much towards
the dissolution of an Empire.
The Relationship between British and Indians inhabitants
The relationship between the ruler and those they ruled, furthermore, is
not simple to decipher. In an account by 0ir Aalter Daurence, many Indian
tribesmen worshipped the head of the Kueen Empress on the rupee as
they would a religious +od. In this, the relationship is presented as one
based upon false authority, where the $Englishmen li"e posing as +ods as
6
<orster so famously wrote. /onversely, as a result of the <irst Aorld Aar
and the nationalist influence of +andhi in the &4J6s, attitude towards the
British became far more negative, +andhi even >uestioning the civilisation
of the Aest. E.% <orster saw $* 9assage to India as a $little bridge of
sympathy between East and Aest only to discover that such was
impossible, naming both races crudely. 1espite the negative view of the
British B their snobbishness, racism and false sense of superiority B there
were nevertheless those who welcomed Imperial support for trade and the
democracy that Britain brought to India.
Throughout the period, racism and preudice became stronger amongst
both parties as Indian nationalism increased and British fear for authority
roc"eted. *t the head of these views is reputation! of both Britains $Ahite
%ans Burden and Indias nationalism. $* 9assage to India clearly depicts
the importance of reputation in political influence, mainly the inferred
Indian belief that $there is no harm in deceiving society as long as she
does not find out. 0imilarly, the Briton, +eorge 2rwell, declared that upon
shooting an elephant, a $sahib must act li"e a sahib to $sustain the dignity
of this own race. Thus, through appearances, influence grew, as seen in
the elitist character of the Indian .ational /ongress formed in &''( and
the British administration. Relationships were therefore political= the
British collaborating only with their opposing e>ual. This furthermore
>uestions the national representation of both British and Indian policies if
the originators were elitist! 7udith Brown has criticised the lac" of
representation of the &4&L Duc"now 9act Moffering a partnership between
/ongress and the *ll,India %uslim DeagueN based upon its geographic
creation. It demonstrates another aspect of preudice= dealing only with
elitist figures rather than a whole nation and moreover limits the political
impact of racism. * Briton, for example, criticising an Indian I/0 member
would be criticising his own education and democracy. Indian preudice,
conversely, attac"ed politically= the nationalist view to remove British
influence from government! Indians deeming themselves better >ualified
than a $white man.
It is important to note that without the British introduction of
opportunities for Aestern education, Indians could not have gained such
elitist influence and moreover, could not have become so aware of the
political capability of India over foreign rule. <urthermore, it created a
tense relationship which ultimately changed the lifestyles of both the
British and Indians for it led to Indias separation from the Empire in the
mid twentieth century.
Perspectives within the Raj
British Views of the Native Races
Racism within India had origins amongst views of nineteenth century
Europe. Robert 7ohnson puts emphasis on the publication of /harles
1arwins $2rigin of the 0pecies published in &'(4 and following that,
$0ocial 1arwinism! the latter proclaiming the survival of the strongest
species. The fact that 1arwins wor" was produced immediately following
the Indian %utiny of &'() gives it great importance in shaping the
7
attitudes of the British towards the indigenous populations of India= there
was $scientific proof that ones genetics shaped their character and that
Europeans were biologically superior. Religious sermons in Britain,
especially those by /harles 0purgeon, transcended from $redemption to
revenge! proclaiming the wic"edness of Indians who had participated in
the rape and murder of British women in particular. Aith the influx of
British women and families travelling to India, such beliefs were also
transposed, contributing to the permeating racism of the colonialist
society.
Regardless of such anti,Indian propaganda, 7ohnson demonstrates how
British men, soldiers and officials had ta"en native mistresses or partners
and even how British women had found Indian husbands. 7ohnson alleges
that the $local people were vital to the imperial community, seen in the
mutual rapport within the military, especially in the <irst Aorld Aar=
twelve -ictoria /rosses were awarded to Indian soldiers and mutual
bonding was common on the <ront Dine. 7.8 Buda contrasts this however,
believing that due to Indian sepoy contribution to the %utiny, the army
were $totally separated from any possible fraterni5ation with the natives
given the $constant spectre of another Indian revolt. Both arguments
prove important to British life= even though the %utiny was significant in
shaping the British perception of Indians, war stimulated the more
desperate need for unity.
0port also drew British and Indian communities together, 9olo especially
gaining favour with both races due to the mutual belief in non,violence
towards animals and comradeship. Teams with both Indian and European
players were formed within the army, showing that military camaraderie
was crucial in maintaining adherent cooperation. 9iers Brendon calls the
*nglo,Indian polo teams $one of the great legacies of the British Empire.
7ohnson also highlights that existing administrative structures were
maintained and Indian dominated, such as local government
arrangements. Indian industry was sustained if it did not compete directly
with British manufacture Mhence why cotton and steel were absorbed by
the British while tea was left to Indian productionN. These suggest that
even though socially, some British were racist and insensitive towards the
Indian population, others were liberal employers, morally guided and
indiscriminate against race or religion.
*s /harles *llen states, the Indian 9rinces were $above the usual
conventions B and more than e>uals to the British, revealing a revisionist
view of the position of the British in India! as an *nglo,Indian himself,
showing how a "nowledge of the culture effects ones view. This is
contrasted in <orsters $9assage to India where a Briton was $superior to
everyone in India, except one or twoI Ranis, and theyre on an e>ual,
revealing how the perspective of India and her people changed not only in
the time period Mfor there was sixty years between the two accountsN but
in relation to ones purpose= staying for power or for family.
8
Indian views of the British
$* 9assage to India provided a clear definition of the British from the
account of a young Indian doctor= $The British were a comic institution
Gand heH I enoyed being misunderstood by them. Through using mild
humour such as this, <orster undermined the British sense of superiority
and, by humiliating the fictional concept of $Empire, one can see how
<orster tried, and failed to transcend racial boundaries. *gain, it reveals
that despite the racism within society both in India and Britain, the
humanitarian ideal of e>uality was considered culturally.
Even though, as previously described, racism towards the British and
Indians was common, it has repeatedly been argued that the British Ra in
India depended upon the cooperation of the local populations! without it,
British India would fall, hence why, during the &4J6s, +andhis non
cooperation movement had great impact upon the security of the British in
India. 0uch support came from those whose trade with Britain offered
profitable business and a monopoly with an international superpower.
Indian minorities such as %uslims, under British control had political
voices and definite representation! something they feared would be lost if
self government was encouraged. *ccording to 0.. 1asa, India scholars
were eternally grateful for the wor" conducted during the British
$2rientalism movement regarding the translation of 0ans"rit texts. This,
argues 1asa, opened the minds of Cindus to their victorious past and,
even though it can be seen as a stimulant for nationalism, created a
method of wor"ing which is still used today. <urthermore, despite the
immense criticism against the British for the violent horrors committed
against Indians as seen in the &4&4 *mritsar %assacre, there was the
underlying cooperation between the Indian and Biritsh administrators
which ensured that India remained a part of the British Empire until &4;).
It shows that the racist perspectives of both ethnicities were purely
external! the relationship uniting the two countries based on political and
economic advances rather than racial superiority.
Conclusion
<urthermore, the lifestyles of the British in India were divided. Even
though many were attracted to and benefited from the regal treatment by
Indian servants and material treasures of the subcontinent, ma"ing their
lives more elaborate than Britain could ever provide, the truths behind the
hardships of maintaining an Empire put strains on family ties,
responsibility, position of women and racial relationships. /onsidering the
evidence behind the extensive racism which permeated both British and
Indian figures, it is plausible to suggest that it had an important role in
realising Indian independence and nationalism! if not due to the brutish
nature of British officials but the realisation of Indian supremacy and
strength. 1espite this, the relationship between India and Britain
remained until &4;), showing that regardless of the atrocities pinned
against the British during the Ra, administrators and influential Indians
were able to cooperate successfully with the British and that, therefore,
the negative aspects to British rule were contained within the $public
9
schoolboys of Imperialism rather than colour the whole of the British
livelihood in India.
10
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1##$ Dondon= -intage Boo"s
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th
/entury British .ewspapers, part two
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