The power of herbs was not passed on to subsequent generations and so, the Indian society continues to use the form of medicine introduced by the British instead of relying on its indigenous herbs. This is another example of the decentering of culture due to British influence. Besides, they influenced the agricultural practices, work ethics and industrial manufacturing processes to a large extent. This extensive rule by the British left no aspect of the society untouched and this led to the loss of many indigenous methods of agriculture and manufacturing that were producing superior results.
Another aspect of decentering was the introduction of English into the society. Prior to British arrival, the country was fragmented by different castes and regions and each region had their own language. A significant aspect of the pre-British Indian society was the existence of numerous dialects and languages. When the British came, English became a common language. Many people began to speak English to be able to work with their British superiors and the language was also introduced in schools and colleges as a medium of instruction. Soon, the educated and elite part of the society were able to converse, read and write fluently in English and this gave rise to a multi-lingual society. The influence of English is seen even today. India is the outsourcing capital of the world with millions of call center jobs and one of the primary reasons for this boom has been the importance and fluency of the language that has evolved in the society over many generations. However, this has also led to the loss of numerous local dialects and practices.
British rule also had a profound impact in the country's governance and infrastructure and this can be considered to be one of the positive effects of colonial rule. Today, India is the largest democracy in the world with a parliament and an upper and lower house of elected representatives. The...
Prior to the British rule, there were a lot of fragmented regions that were constantly at war and after the country's independence, it became a single country with many provinces. The President of India took over the role of the Monarch and a judicial system that is based on the British system was established and it continues to exist even today.
The British were largely responsible for introducing trams and trains in India. Some of the railway lines laid by the British is still operational today. They also developed the ports to facilitate trade and the Indian government and businesses continue to use them with some modernization for their trade and commerce. Some of the buildings are still in use today as provincial headquarters and as governmental offices. All these highlight the positive role of the British on Indian infrastructure though it led to a decentering of the Indian culture.
Conclusion
In short, the British had a big influence on India's cultural, social and political systems. This led to a decentering of the culture and religion and the post-independence society emerged as a secular rather than a Hindu-dominant one. Also, the introduction of English has been beneficial to the country in this globalized world and has contributed to its current economic boom. The downside has been the loss of numerous local dialects and the culture of smaller groups.
References
British Influences in India. (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.ukinindia.org/
Hodgson, Francis Cotterell. (1863). British Influence in India, an essay. Oxford: Oxford University.
French, Steven. (2007-11-01). Decentering 'Colonial' Science. Metascience. Vol 16(3). pp 543-547.
Wyatt, Andrew; Zavos, John; Hewitt, Vernon. (2002). Decentering the Indian Nation. Commonwealth and Comparative Politics. Vol 40(3). pp1-7.
