Syed Abul Ala Maudoodi
Tr. Dr. Maaz Amjad
MMI Publishers, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi – 110 025 INDIA
Pages : 72
Year: 2018
Reviewed by MAULANA HAMED ALKAF and DR. MAAZ AMJAD WARSI
This book is yet another example of Maulana Maudoodi’s genius when he was just a young man of 21 years. The subject treated in this book covers a period from 1600 C.E. to 1924 C.E. and a space of India, Britain and Europe. This coverage of time and space by a person who neither went to any college or university nor studied economics as a science and history of economic development as a subject is really surprising.
This also reflects young Maudoodi’s passion and love for that united India as it was in 1924.
This book unveils the ugly face of British and European imperialism and ruthless exploitation of India and all oriental lands without paying any heed to the human aspect of the occupied and colonised lands. It also pictures how the British systematically destroyed not only Bengal’s famous textile industry but also India’s shipping capability combined with destruction of all those aspects of Indian economy which were considered potential threat to Britain. Hence, that was the miserable situation in which Indians found themselves when the British left India in 1947.
A few words about the academic value of this book.
The young author took pains to read several books on the history of Indian economy in English, annual reports of the East India Company and a number of reports of the House of Commons Select Committees. In total, his references are around 60. You could say that it was one book for each page. That is incredible for a young man of 21 years.
In short, this gives us a clear picture of gradual colonisation of India by British imperialism, ruthless exploitation of Indian resources and as such the resultant poverty of India and its people by shameless British looting.
This book must be read in conjunction with Mr. Shashi Tharoor’s An Era of Darkness which will jointly reveal the true scale of India’s Industrial decline and consequent poverty from 1600 C.E. to 1947 C.E.