Queen Elizabeth II’s Death has provoked significant online debate, especially amongst a section of the former British colonies.

The government declared a day of mourning on Sunday in India, with flags flying at half-staff to honour the late Queen Elizabeth II. But some online reactions across much of the country were blaming the Queen for Colonialism.

I also understand where most of the comments and points of view are coming from, and it is the anger of the dark past of British Colonialism. And yes, it needs to be talked about, but I feel like it should be targeted toward the Queen, especially on her death. as an Indian, I am just trying to put a different perspective.

Queen Elizabeth II was the face of Great Britain, most definitely, but also the face of the Commonwealth. She reigned over the dissolution of much of the Empire, a wheel set into motion before she got the throne, I’m not sure what else Elizabeth should have done: sank the Navy? Dissolve the Commonwealth? Turned the British islands over to India and Africa?
She embodied service, dignity, faith, hope and longevity, and she did it quietly – ironically via the monarchy.

I know it was a selfish reason, but British imperialists did bring billions of people from tight, close groups and princely states together.
India was unified into one country by the British imperialists.
We must accept that India would not be the world’s largest democracy without the British imperialists.

The only thing worse than the British colonial government was a number of the governments that replaced it in Asia and Africa. And that was after getting the British administration and law.
I mean, we are clearly seeing what mockery of democracy is happening in India with our last few governments.
Do you not think all of those countries are not doing well and have not gained traction in the international economy?

Yes, we all know that the British Empire of old, as well as the entire last ten-thousand years of our human-dominated planet, was mostly a brutal place, ran largely by horrible people. Just look at India. Somehow internal invasions are not counted as invasions. No one seems to know of the Maratha attacks on Bengal in the 18th century that are part of Bengali folklore. Invasion of Malaysia by Tamil Chola empire And if you look at history, there are so many more events like this. Historians who do talk about it, are mocked and discredited as anti-nationals. Indian school textbooks are written to create a positive image of India. Hinduism wasn’t even born in India. It came from Central Asia.
I don’t admire what happened 100 years ago, but I do admire The Queen and what she did for her people and the Commonwealth.

Personally, In a time of threats to our own political stability in the UK, the idea of an anchor that the people of a nation can rally around for enduring values has an appeal to me.

The amount of hate and viciousness across social media in response to the death of the Queen was mind-boggling and just made me feel sad as a human.

I understand people’s pain and the dark memories of the colonial past, but shouldn’t this be pointed toward Colonialism and not the Queen?

She was born into her position, she didn’t force herself on the throne or Britain, and she just tried politely to make the best out of a difficult situation she was put into.

We all need empathy for fellow human beings at the moment of their death.

I had enormous sympathy for the Queen personally, even though I believe we could do better than the monarchy as an institution.