Varun Murli
Too Brown For the Crown
Varun's connection to Britain starts with his grandfather, who served in the British Royal Air Force in India during Second World War. "It has been acknowledged recently that Britain would have lost the war without the help from Indian subcontinent", he says. But after the victory only British soldiers were celebrated, and all efforts of Indian army was forgotten.
Varun is standing in front of the Commonwealth Memorial Gates, which were built only in 2002, half a century after the victory in Second World War.
— A lot of people don’t know the colonial history. They learn at school that India was a poor country Britishers came to develop the nation by building infrastructure and providing healthcare. It is true that they've built the railroad, but was it done with the intention of help? Many westerners are not aware of Bengal Famine or the conspiracy to cut off the fingers of Bengali weavers and to brake their looms.
— In 1943, Winston Churchill said “I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits”. London ate India's bread while India starved. Before British arrival India was accountable for 24% of world’s GDP, when they left it was only 3%.
Varun has come to London to do his masters in fashion and thinks it’s the best place to be at. The capital is known for edgy style and pushing boundaries with a cosmopolitan backdrop. He hopes to break norms and meet with diverse group of people always creating and inspiring.
From his initial days in London, Varun has experienced a few unpleasant conversations with locals who accused him of coming to the UK for easy money. Having to pay double fee as an international student, Varun finds these claims unjust. Some people don't realise the amount of work foreigners do for this country, he notes. "If all immigrants left the UK, its economy would collapse".
Flying from India, the student has brought a special bottle of rum in his luggage. Introduced by a Scottish entrepreneur, Old Monk rum became an iconic drink. Even Britishers from that Era spoke highly of this drink and enjoyed it. This bottle became a part of brown history, and every Indian would recognise this bottle instantly, explains Varun. "It’s something that is very Indian and every Indian would know of it. My granddad had it, my father has it, I have it."
