3 Overlooked Secrets About the British Legacy in India That Will Blow Your Mind

The legacy takes on a delightful twist

On a misty morning, our driver dropped us off at the war cemetery in Kohima. It is the capital city of the state of Nagaland in India. And the site of a British — Japanese battle to retain control of North East India during WW II.

Soldiers of British and Indian origin, who fell in battle, are buried there.

The heavens had poured the previous day and the clouds were wringing out their last drops as I made my way up the steps to take the view in.

The flowers had drooped under the weight but the grass was fresh as ever. The whole area looked well-maintained.

As I walked around reading the names of the fallen, I spotted a tiny covered alcove in the base wall.

What is it hiding? I thought.

What Are You Hiding?

Curious, I pried open the iron door to reveal a sturdy log book and a pen. It was a visitor’s book. It was meant for future generations of those buried at the cemetery to record their visits.

What a novel idea to keep track of families even after someone had been laid to rest far away from home.

I read through some of the entries and someone had been there to pay their respects just a week ago.

This was the first time I encountered a record log like this.

The British left a lot in their wake: poverty, a divided country and a shattered economy.

But their record keeping was second to none.

After reading through the entries in the book some more, I thought about other places where I had seen records kept. The obvious ones I came up with were land, cricket and historical records.

And then I remembered where I had stumbled upon other record-keeping institutions during my travels.

It blew my mind.

A World’s First

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital city of the state of West Bengal. Two of its most famous landmarks are the Howdah Bridge over the Hooghly River and the Victoria Memorial.

Three kilometres away from Victoria Memorial is a building none of us would go to willingly. It is the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CID) Forensic department.

Right beside this office, now housed in a bigger space, is the world’s first fingerprint bureau. It was established in 1897.

Sir Edward Richard Henry was the Inspector General of Police of the Lower Provinces. He worked with subordinates Azizul Haque and Hem Chandra Bose to develop a system to tell people apart using their fingerprints.

India’s diverse population was the right testing ground for perfecting the system.

In August 1898, the police used fingerprints to track down Kangali Charan, a man who murdered a tea plantation owner in Jalpaigudi.

The fingerprint bureau was born.

Scotland Yard was the first department outside India to use these fingerprinting and identification techniques. It was slowly adopted the world over to nail criminals beyond reasonable doubt.

The meticulous record-keeping of fingerprints created an extensive database. It is valuable not just for law enforcement but also as an anthropological framework. It has helped historians understand population movements in the Indian subcontinent.

Light the Way

The heat and humidity in Chennai is bad in the winter months. It gets worse from there on.

In late February when I was there for a workcation, everything in sight seemed to melt in the heat. I could not have enough baths in a day.

On my way to Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry), I had a pit stop at Mahabalipuram.

It is a beautiful temple town with an ancient port. Monolithic chariots, caves carved into rock, giant open-air rock reliefs and temples dedicated to the pantheon of various gods are spread across the town.

You can let your imagination dance with the magnitude of these creations.

In 1887 the British commissioned the first lighthouse on the shores. It became fully operational in 1904.

Nearly all the lighthouses in India are a British import. As a maritime nation, and India’s biggest trading partner, sea was their quickest way in and out.

Besides the obvious use, the lighthousekeepers were also chroniclers of maritime history and coastal life. Weather observations and ship sightings were the most common logs.

Of interest to history buffs are records of unusual occurrences — Shipwrecks, rescues, or sightings of rare marine life.

These logs have become valuable resources for climatologists studying historical weather patterns. Maritime historians can trace shipping routes, and understand changes in marine ecosystems.

Who Am I?

I stay in a corner yet travel all over the world. Who am I?

The postage stamp.

A postal systems for efficient military and governmental communications was operational long before the arrival of Europeans. We had seals instead of stamps. Only the rules across the subcontinent could use it.

With the consolidation of East India Company’s power in 1774, this facility was opened to the general population.

The Indian Post Office was established with an Act in 1837. The area was confined to places where the Company operated.

With the Company exiting and imperial rule taking over in 1858, the system expanded.

Stamps Replace Seals

Stamps were no longer exclusive to royal seals or signet marks. They were printed on paper and replicated quickly.

Over the next decades, the postal system spread through a robust and dependable network connecting all parts of India, Burma, and areas controlled by the British.

Eventually, letters went overseas to England and the other colonies.

The Imperial Posts co-existed with the several postal systems maintained by various Indian Princely states.

The volume of mail doubled between 1866 and 1871.

Stamps of various denominations started making their way across the peninsula and deep into the North and North West.

The British postal system in colonies was a marvel of organization. Its records of stamp issuance and usage are treasure troves for both philatelists and historians.

Stamps often depict culture, local scenes, or mark important events. It reflected how the British wanted to represent their rule.

The postal system was handy in settling border disputes. Stamp usage provided evidence of administrative boundaries.

The India Security Press at Nashik printed its first stamp in 1926. India’s currency notes, revenue stamps and postal stamps continue to be printed there. With every new stamp, the changes in printing techniques and materials used for stamps reflect the technological progress in the field.

What is the Legacy?

As a former colony, we have all kind of records to trace how control passed from the Indian rulers to the Company and eventually to the Crown.

The records are as much a testament to the British plunder of India to the thoroughness of their governance and administration.

These three legacies demonstrate how detailed record-keeping in mundane things creates delightful historical resources you can get lost in. They are the overlooked secrets about the British that stay relevant to this day.