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With passing away of Queen Elizabeth II, twitterati demands Kohinoor’s return to India | India News
NEW DELHI: The death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has sparked social media chatter demanding the return of the monarch. Kohinoor diamond to India.
With her son Prince Charles succeeding to the throne, the 105-carat diamond, marked in history, will go to his wife, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, who is now the Queen’s wife.
The Kohinoor, meaning ‘Mountain of Light’, is a large, colorless diamond found in southern India in the early 14th century. The jewel, which entered British hands during the colonial era. , is the subject of a historic title dispute and is claimed by at least four countries, including India.
Some Twitter users have been very serious in their request for the return of Kohinoor diamond, while others have a humorous take on the matter.
A Twitter user posted a clip from the Bollywood movie ‘Dhoom 2’ in which the character played by Hrithik Roshan steals a diamond from a moving train.
“Hrithik Roshan on the way to get back our heera, motif; Kohinoor from British Museum to India” user posted.
Another user @gomathi17183538 alleged that Queen Elizabeth II was an “active participant in colonialism”. “Can we get our Kohinoor back now? A reminder that Queen Elizabeth is not a relic of colonial times. She was an active participant in colonialism.” Gomathi said.
Asish Raz tweeted, “Sadly, the queen has passed away. Now, can we expect our Kohinoor to return?”
The Kohinoor diamond was “dedicated” to the Queen of England by the Maharaja of Lahore at the time and “not handed over” to the British nearly 170 years ago, the Archaeological Survey of India responded to an RTI query Several years ago.
However, the Indian government’s position in the Supreme Court was that the diamond, estimated to be worth more than $200 million, was not stolen or “forced” by the British authorities but was given to the Crown Prince. East India by the former rulers of Punjab.
In her book ‘An Era of Darkness’, Shashi Tharoor notes that it was once presented as the largest diamond in the world, weighing 793 carats or 158.6 grams.
The diamond is said to have first been mined near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh by the Kakatiya dynasty in the 13th century. From its original brilliance of 158 carats, the diamond has been reduced to its present 105 carat shape. over many centuries.
He chronicles the famous jewel’s journey through the royal hand as it travels from the Kakatiyas in the Deccan to the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji and then to the Mughal empire. It arrived in Afghanistan with the Persian invader Nadir Shah.
According to legend, it was Nadir Shah who named the diamond Kohinoor. It went through different dynasties before landing in the possession of the Sikh Maharaja in Punjab, Ranjit Singh, in 1809, Tharoor noted.
He claimed that his successor Ranjit Singh was unable to keep his kingdom and was defeated by the British in two wars. “That’s when Kohinoor fell into British hands.”
Tharoor made a poignant argument in favor of returning the diamond to India and made critical remarks against Great Britain’s colonial history.
“The display of Kohinoor in the Queen’s crown at the Tower of London is a powerful reminder of the injustices perpetrated by the former right. Until it is returned – at least a symbolic gesture of contentment. term – it will remain evidence of loot, looting and appropriation where colonialism really is everything,” he said.
Author and historian William Dalrymple noted in his book, “Kohinoor” that the child, Sikh heir, Duleep Singh, regretted offering the jewel to Queen Victoria. However, he also wished to give it to the Queen as a man.
“I would be nice to hold it again in my hands. I was just a child, an infant, when forced to give it up by treaty… Now I’m a man , I want to have it in my hand. The power alone puts it in His Majesty’s hands.”
The government has repeatedly made requests for Kohinoor’s return, including one as early as 1947. However, the British government has for years denied the claims.
During a visit to India in July 2010, then-British Prime Minister David Cameron said: “If you say yes to one person, you suddenly find the British Museum will be empty. I’m afraid to say that , it will have to stay”. ”
Those who had called for the diamond’s return were disappointed in 2016 in response to a then public interest lawsuit – India’s General Counsel Ranjit Kumar told the Supreme Court that Kohinoor was “freely taken by Ranjit Singh”. vow to give the British reparations to help. Sikh wars”.
“Kohinoor is not a stolen object,” he said.
Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma later denied any action by the ministry to bring back the famous diamond, saying that if any appeals were to be made on the matter, it would at the diplomatic level.
“If a diplomatic call needs to be made (to bring back Kohinoor), the government or the Indian Ministry of External Affairs will do so at the appropriate time… the Culture Ministry will not take any initiative. (to get the diamond back),” Sharma said.
Noting that the issue dates back to pre-Independence, he said, “As a guide, if any of our artifacts are found anywhere after Independence, the Ministry of Culture will take the initiative to recover.” However, issues of antiquities prior to Independence “were not within the reach of the Ministry of Culture”, he added.
With her son Prince Charles succeeding to the throne, the 105-carat diamond, marked in history, will go to his wife, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, who is now the Queen’s wife.
The Kohinoor, meaning ‘Mountain of Light’, is a large, colorless diamond found in southern India in the early 14th century. The jewel, which entered British hands during the colonial era. , is the subject of a historic title dispute and is claimed by at least four countries, including India.
Some Twitter users have been very serious in their request for the return of Kohinoor diamond, while others have a humorous take on the matter.
A Twitter user posted a clip from the Bollywood movie ‘Dhoom 2’ in which the character played by Hrithik Roshan steals a diamond from a moving train.
“Hrithik Roshan on the way to get back our heera, motif; Kohinoor from British Museum to India” user posted.
Another user @gomathi17183538 alleged that Queen Elizabeth II was an “active participant in colonialism”. “Can we get our Kohinoor back now? A reminder that Queen Elizabeth is not a relic of colonial times. She was an active participant in colonialism.” Gomathi said.
Asish Raz tweeted, “Sadly, the queen has passed away. Now, can we expect our Kohinoor to return?”
The Kohinoor diamond was “dedicated” to the Queen of England by the Maharaja of Lahore at the time and “not handed over” to the British nearly 170 years ago, the Archaeological Survey of India responded to an RTI query Several years ago.
However, the Indian government’s position in the Supreme Court was that the diamond, estimated to be worth more than $200 million, was not stolen or “forced” by the British authorities but was given to the Crown Prince. East India by the former rulers of Punjab.
In her book ‘An Era of Darkness’, Shashi Tharoor notes that it was once presented as the largest diamond in the world, weighing 793 carats or 158.6 grams.
The diamond is said to have first been mined near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh by the Kakatiya dynasty in the 13th century. From its original brilliance of 158 carats, the diamond has been reduced to its present 105 carat shape. over many centuries.
He chronicles the famous jewel’s journey through the royal hand as it travels from the Kakatiyas in the Deccan to the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji and then to the Mughal empire. It arrived in Afghanistan with the Persian invader Nadir Shah.
According to legend, it was Nadir Shah who named the diamond Kohinoor. It went through different dynasties before landing in the possession of the Sikh Maharaja in Punjab, Ranjit Singh, in 1809, Tharoor noted.
He claimed that his successor Ranjit Singh was unable to keep his kingdom and was defeated by the British in two wars. “That’s when Kohinoor fell into British hands.”
Tharoor made a poignant argument in favor of returning the diamond to India and made critical remarks against Great Britain’s colonial history.
“The display of Kohinoor in the Queen’s crown at the Tower of London is a powerful reminder of the injustices perpetrated by the former right. Until it is returned – at least a symbolic gesture of contentment. term – it will remain evidence of loot, looting and appropriation where colonialism really is everything,” he said.
Author and historian William Dalrymple noted in his book, “Kohinoor” that the child, Sikh heir, Duleep Singh, regretted offering the jewel to Queen Victoria. However, he also wished to give it to the Queen as a man.
“I would be nice to hold it again in my hands. I was just a child, an infant, when forced to give it up by treaty… Now I’m a man , I want to have it in my hand. The power alone puts it in His Majesty’s hands.”
The government has repeatedly made requests for Kohinoor’s return, including one as early as 1947. However, the British government has for years denied the claims.
During a visit to India in July 2010, then-British Prime Minister David Cameron said: “If you say yes to one person, you suddenly find the British Museum will be empty. I’m afraid to say that , it will have to stay”. ”
Those who had called for the diamond’s return were disappointed in 2016 in response to a then public interest lawsuit – India’s General Counsel Ranjit Kumar told the Supreme Court that Kohinoor was “freely taken by Ranjit Singh”. vow to give the British reparations to help. Sikh wars”.
“Kohinoor is not a stolen object,” he said.
Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma later denied any action by the ministry to bring back the famous diamond, saying that if any appeals were to be made on the matter, it would at the diplomatic level.
“If a diplomatic call needs to be made (to bring back Kohinoor), the government or the Indian Ministry of External Affairs will do so at the appropriate time… the Culture Ministry will not take any initiative. (to get the diamond back),” Sharma said.
Noting that the issue dates back to pre-Independence, he said, “As a guide, if any of our artifacts are found anywhere after Independence, the Ministry of Culture will take the initiative to recover.” However, issues of antiquities prior to Independence “were not within the reach of the Ministry of Culture”, he added.
