Victorian British Empire meets India, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Mill and Gandhi

In part, the British Victorian Empire came in contact with India through its political and economic dealings motivated by sugar. According to Sweetness and Power, "The sugars of the Arabs were no single homegenous substance; from the Persians and Indians, the Arabs had learned a variety of sugar types or categories". [1] Most people, I think, would agree the height of capitalism took place in the late eighteenth century when it became a governing economic form. The rise of capitalism involved the creation of colonies and the creation of a system of world trade. This created a demand for economic enterprises in various areas of the world, thus the capitalistic intent of the Europeans created multiple foreign luxury markets. Economic and geographic, circumstances would connect places like India (where it controlled the government) and its extended arm of control over the West Indies--a big part of that control created by the link of sugar abundance in the West Indies. 

 [2] 

West Indies sugar cane.... 

The Victorian British Empire's political control in India not only gave them political control of the Indian subcontinent which they ruled, it naturally gave the West an avenue of influence and Vice versa. The Great Revolt pitted  Muslim and Hindu to take control of India. When the Muslims and Hindus were informed of their weapons cartridges were greased with beef and pork fat they refused to fight and were placed shackled later to be rescued when they shot British officers and united with the Indian garrison at Delhi. Battling less than twenty-four hours, they secured the city. 

British parliament later passed the Government of India act which gave power over India to the East India Company, which was maintained by Britain's most influential leaders such as John Stuart Mill. His intentions of benefiting the British empire are obvious and reflected in his written declarations,

"These are hardly to be looked upon as countries, carrying on the exchange of commodities with other countries, but more properly as outlying agricultural or manufacturing estates belonging to a larger community.  Our West Indian colonies, for example, cannot be regarded as countries with a productive capital of their own . . . [but are, rather] the place where England finds it convenint to carry on the production of sugar, coffee and a few other tropical commodities. All the capitals employed is English capital; almost all the industry is carried on for English uses; there is little production of anything except for staple commodities, and these are sent to England, not to be exchanged for things exported to the colony and consumed by its inhabitants, but to be sold in England for the benefit of the proprietors there. The trade with the West Indies is hardly to be considereed an external trade, but more resembles the traffic between town and country." [3]

The British rule operated somewhat under the radar as did John Stuart Mill. Perhaps his involvement in activities seeming contrary to his philosophy is why he's his connection with the West India company are sparsely written about. His involvement there seems contrary to his written philosophies. The more one knows about John Stuart Mill, the more one sees fitting his title "the contrarian".

Through this gander, we may now conclude the Victorian British Empire intersected India through its overarching economic goals. Not surprisingly, the English connection through the production for sugar intensified as it acquire Jamaica and other West Indies countries. This ties in the luxury status of England or the Anti-Buddhism aspect of England. . . The trade relationship is a compelling avenue to explore, but monetary exchange wasn't the only influence the empire had on India. This is also where the [Victorian] British Empire comes in contact with Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The religious cultures within India remained diverse. The British were meddling in somebody's house. The English desires of material excess stood against the principles of the religions in India. In turn, they rebelled against materialism of the British Empire using the principles of Jainisms.

Here we can see the result of The British Empire's contact with India as Ghandi sets forth struggle for independence from the British rule set up during the Victorian era.:

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After the British Empire set up government in Inida, the British rule operated under the radar but controlled India to the resentment of some. Gandhi's schoolmate's had already learned to respect ad oppose the Brittish. They recited a poem which went:

Behold the mighty Englishman,

He rule the Indian small,

Because being a meat-eater

He is five cubits tall 5

It's easy to see the vegetarian influence of India. Eating meat seemed to have shed negative light on the Englishmen. But the primary thing I found interesting was the approach of the of non-violence (or Jainism), which is represented by a familiar looking image.

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The idea of non-violence is extended to all other thoughts...the above is the symbol for Jainism.

"People often think that religions which endorse forms of world renunciation hold the position that personal salvation supersedes all other concerns and that the search for otherworldly rewards overrides a commitment to this world". 7  The path we take in our disagreements, however large the magnitude, will determine our path to success or failure in the end. Evident with the many deaths resulting in the Iraq is our apparent need to promote peace. Perhaps we should look towards a new definition of peace, "the root of the Jain path of purification is the concept of ahimsa, nonviolence. 8

Diplomacy begins with nonviolence; the most foreseeable predicament in which the world would end strangely seems to be... violence.

[1]Mintz Sidney, Sweetness and Power, (New York: Viking Penguin, Inc.1985)71
[2]http://wicscbs.org/images/canes.jpg
[3]Mill, J.S. 1876 [1848]. Principles of political economy. New York: D. Appleton.
[4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58AOOFcCfa0[5]http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/References/NT/Gospels/John/_resJohn/John05/Materialism_me.gif
[5]Fischer Louis, Gahdhi His life and Message for the World, (New York: The New American Library, Inc.1954)11

[6]http://gbgm-umc.org/missionstudies/interfaith/images/sym-jainism-210.gif[6]http://gbgm-umc.org/missionstudies/interfaith/images/sym-jainism-210.gif

[7]course anthologhy

[8]course anthology on Jainism