Dominated nation

In his address to the British Parliament on February 2, 1835, Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay said: "I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief; such wealth I have seen in this country. Such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and therefore I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.” The British succeeded in this aim and hence were able to rule India for nearly 150 years.

This is the same Lord Macaulay who gave us the Imperial Penal Code during the British regime, which is now the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), comprising 511 law sections, a criminal law book which deals with crime, criminals and punishments. It also gives to the accused the right to challenge the judiciary and thereby protects them should the magistrate or judge act arbitrarily instead of judicially. The Code shows partiality neither for the lawman nor for the criminal.

SAM DARABSHAH PATEL