Introduction

 

In August 1608, the East India company ships docked at Surat. Formerly known as English East India Company (1600-1708), the company gradually established its monopoly in trade in India for over 200 years. In 1757, in the Battle of Plassey, by the seizure of the province of Bengal, India was virtually conquered by the company. The first Indian uprising of 1857 led to the Government of India Act 1858, following which the East India Company lost its authority over India. The British Crown assumed direct control of India as the new British Raj until India was declared independent in August 1947.

 

The thesis zooms in on specific historic narratives in this timeline of the company’s (and later the Crown’s) presence in India, juxtaposing the narratives with parallels from colonial and post-colonial India. The domains of textile, art and architecture is dissected through colours with specific objects from literature, art, pop culture and press as evidence. While encountering each narrative, imagine threads of multiple colours being woven together to come in full circle or in loose ends. No attempts have been made to summarise or extract lessons from the narratives, nor is it possible to do so, which is perhaps a takeaway from the reading. By situating the compass between the east and the west, thereby between the coloured and the cultured, the orientalist representing, interpreting, and engaging with the east that Edward Said writes about is cross-examined ¹. Through the filter of colour, the narratives participate in postcolonial discourses, positioning dots to connect between colonial and contemporary India.

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The chapters are themed around specific colours/ colour patterns, using colour to navigate through questions of resistance, prejudice, representation, othering etc. The chapter Floral discusses the Indian textile Calico (chintz) that shook the economy of Britain. The resistance following the Calico boom in Britain is set against the resistance towards increasing imports in India. The events, distinct in its time and place looks at the socio-political contexts of the distinct events to find historical patterns in common. The chapter VIBGYOR problematises an object of evidence of European art depicting the festival of Holi in India. The chapter delves into the contradictions of the western engagement with orient and what orient actually is. The chapter Black & White analyses the spatial and racial segregation strategies of British in colonial India. The desire for whiteness within the country as an aftermath of imperialism is brought to light. Tricolour, the last chapter glimpses at contemporary India as an epilogue.

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For further details or to initiate a discussion about the research, please reach out via email at kajoljoan@gmail.com