“India is the major diamond in the British Crown”. Really, an image-bearing expression it is. People often said this before India gained independence. This phrase remains as significant today as it was before. The point is that India’s Kohinoor Diamond is the largest precious stone in the British crown.
The Kohinoor Diamond is the oldest of all known diamonds and ranks fourth in the world in terms of weight (106 karats). It was taken from India in the middle of the 19th century, and, adding more pearls to the crown of the British monarchs, it has been kept in the Tower of London since.
Therefore, it is absolutely natural that India, as well as its neighbours – Pakistan and Afghanistan – and also Iran, whose ownership the Kohinoor Diamond was earlier, have repeatedly demanded that Britain return them their treasure. But official London always responded with a categorical refusal. However, earlier this week, for the first time in the history of difficult Indo-British relations, concerning the ill-fated diamond, the initiative to return the Kohinoor Diamond to India came from Britain. “The Guardian” daily has published the appeal of Keith Vaz, a Labour MP, to return the diamond to India. Perhaps, now the Kohinoor Diamond will be really returned to India?
This is a rhetorical question though, the worker of the Russian State Museum of the Orient Indologist Nadezhda Karabelnik says.
I don’t really think that this initiative might have a continuation. Most likely, it is simply a PR action of the Labour men ahead of the official visit of David Cameron to India. Should the British Queen make a relevant proposal, this issue would be considered without fail.
Britons have taken out many treasures and works of art from India – so many that to determine the price seems impossible. So it is very unlikely that the Britons will return the Kohinoor Diamond, which is the symbol of the British dynasty’s might, to India, Nadezhda Karabelnik says.
The Kohinoor Diamond has become an integral part of the British Crown. The British Crown is a big treasure belonging to the Windsor dynasty, which is demonstrated during special occasions. So can it be that the Kohinoor Diamond will be removed from the British Crown? Will it be replaced by a fake diamond? This will be regarded as undermining the foundations of the British Empire.
Thus, the Kohinoor Diamond continues to remain a stumbling-block in relations between London and Delhi. David Cameron should be hopeful that official Delhi took no notice of the article in “The Guardian”.
Download
Please rate: