Why we must face up to our past without locking it away
Rather than removing statues, it is often more productive for them to be accompanied by new plaques explaining the role of the individual, writes Dr Chandrika Kaul
GREAT Britain had the largest empire in modern history. But, as someone once remarked, it is arguably a misnomer to refer to a British or an English empire, since it could just as easily be called the Scottish empire. This would certainly apply to the empire in India – the proverbial Jewel in the Crown.
It is striking, given the relatively small population of Scotland, what a disproportionately large role the Scots played in helping establish first, a trading monopoly, and then a formal empire in the subcontinent.
From the time that Queen Elizabeth I granted a Charter to the East India Company in 1599, the Scots went out as traders, mercenaries, missionaries, soldiers, sailors, administrators, jurists, doctors, teachers, tea-planters, jutewallahs, etc.
Next year marks the 75th anniversary of Indian (and Pakistani) independence. Arguably, the most famous Indian nationalist, freedom fighter and apostle of peace was M. K. Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi spent some years in London as a law student in the late 19th century, and was to visit England on several occasions during the 20th, although he never travelled up north of the Border. However, in 2019 the Indian Government gifted a 6ft 4in bronze statue of Gandhi to Scotland, the only one of its kind in the country.
The statue was installed in Ayr Town Hall and is one of 10 erected worldwide to mark Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. It is noteworthy that this installation was widely welcomed.
There has been a recent trend in the erection of statues of Gandhi in the UK that began with a high-profile installation in London’s Parliament Square during 2015. Inaugurated by the Conservative PM David Cameron, it jostles for space with prime ministers and presidents, including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela. (Interestingly Gandhi’s statute is sculpted by a Scottish artist, Philip Jackson.) In 2017 another 6ft statute was erected in Cardiff.
However, in 2019, a proposal for a new Gandhi statute to be erected outside Manchester Cathedral was met with loud protests on the streets as well as on social media, though the installation did eventually go ahead. Another Gandhi statute erected in Leicester some years ago was threatened with destruction by protesters during June 2020, though the mayor, Peter Soulsby, stood firm and rejected such a move.
These statutes have been gifts either from the Indian government or paid for by private charitable organisations. In both cases, the opposition was linked mainly, though not only, to Gandhi’s discriminatory attitude towards Blacks in South Africa where he lived and worked for two decades.
Over his lifetime, Gandhi came to admit several errors of judgement – what he once referred to as “Himalayan blunder”. He often expressed remorse, and deeply regretted supporting the British war effort on three occasions. Gandhi sought to make amends and led a long life of public service and sacrifice.
Arguably, if we judge our historical leaders, in whatever arena, against the standards rightly expected today, not many will make it into any roll call of honour! Whilst in a popular democracy the will of the majority should be upheld constitutionally, we all know that this often does not happen. We have handed over power to elected representatives who often can, and do, decide to take “unpopular” decisions despite vocal opposition on the streets.
Ultimately, history is what each generation seeks to make of its past, and by that criteria has been frequently written anew.
If this is because of a genuine public understanding and appreciation of its past, there is considerable value in either removing or installing public statutes and monuments. The ones that currently “offend” can be taken away and put in cold storage. (I am certain Gandhi would support such an outcome for his own statutes!)
Alternatively, as I happen to think is more productive, these public statuaries can be accompanied by new plaques explaining the role of the individual or memorial in the history of Scotland, Britain or the world, in a way that addresses our 21st-century concerns. More information and communicating it effectively, can only be a good thing because it will help to ensure that decisions taken in the future are based on informed choices.
If our hands have been bloody in the past, then I, for one, would rather know about these than remain in ignorance.
Dr Chandrika Kaul is Reader in Modern History at the University of St Andrews. She is the recipient of a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship, and is a Founding Co-editor of the book series ‘Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media’. Her most recent edited book is ‘M. K. Gandhi, Media, Politics and Society: New Perspectives’ (2020).