Letter: Indians always ruled India

NUMBERS are against Sharada Srinivasan's contention that India was ruled by British might (Letters, 20 November). In all the civilian services there were only a few thousand British serving at any one time, less than 1 per cent of the total population of the sub-Continent. In the military, British troops were outnumbered by more than three to one by the Indian Army.

The truth is that India was always ruled by Indians; in the princely states entirely so, while in British India the services were staffed by Indians up to senior levels. There was nothing derogatory about working for the British Crown. It followed a tradition for Indians to work for whoever the rulers might be. In such an atmosphere it is nonsense to talk about India being held by might.

C M Lloyd Jones

Hale, Cheshire