 My great-grandfather, Tyagaraj Shastry (right), pictured in Visakhapatnam with Tenneti Viswanadham (second from right), a prominent Indian freedom fighter in the mid-20th century, and C. Rajagopalachari (top), the last governor-general of India as it became a republic. (Courtesy of Meena Venkataramanan) | I am descended from Indian freedom fighters. My paternal great-grandfather, Tyagaraj Shastry, participated in India's struggle for independence from the British Empire with prominent Indian freedom fighter Tenneti Viswanadham and governor-general C. Rajagopalachari in the mid-20th century. Growing up as a first-generation Indian American, I was frequently reminded of the British Empire's influence on the country where my parents and ancestors were raised. My maternal great-grandfather was a civil engineer for the British railway system. And because of her fair skin, his daughter — my grandmother — was nicknamed "Jane" as a child by the British managers who supervised the railway workers. My family members in India devoured Enid Blyton novels growing up, despite the books' racist caricatures. The legacy of 200 years of British involvement and rule in India is complicated: While some argue that the British developed the Indian railway system, others point to the extent to which they also plundered its natural resources and wealth, incited political division and caused famines, and left indelible scars on Indian culture, including the white supremacy and colorism that lingers today, partially evident through skin-lightening creams. When Queen Elizabeth II died last week, reactions from those from former colonies, including India and African countries, and their diasporas in the United States were mixed. While some felt sorrow and nostalgia, others remembered the brutal legacy of colonialism that Elizabeth's reign and the British Empire left in their wake. I wrote a story with Nairobi-based writer Rael Ombuor, and West Africa bureau chief Rachel Chason on the ghosts of Britain's imperial past that haunt — and sometimes, replace — mourning over the Queen's death in former colonies and their diasporas, including African countries and South Asia. Also in this edition, The Post's health reporter Fenit Nirappil reports on Black gay activists' efforts to spread the word about the monkeypox vaccine in Charlotte. Thank you for reading, and see you Friday.  (Hulton Deutsch/Corbis/Getty Images) "Colonialism is history in the West," said a South African writer. "But in our countries, colonialism is now." By Rael Ombuor, Rachel Chason and Meena Venkataramanan ● Read more » | | | |
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