The Raj? What Raj?

[poliphilo]

In a thread attached to a review of Gurinder Chadha's new movie The Viceroy's House I came across the assertion that shortly after Independence the Government of India did a survey to find out what people thought about the departure of the British- and then quietly shelved it when it turned out that a very large proportion of the respondents hadn't even realised the British had arrived.

Is that a fact? I've no idea but I'd like it to be.

Comments

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I like the story too, but I find it implausible. To what end would the Indian government have carried out such a survey? Surely they had more pressing matters in 1947? Also, those who responded would presumably have been literate - and I think it's highly unlikely that people who had received that degree of education would be unaware of the fact that the British had ruled India for previous century and more.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid you're right.