East India Company coming back to India

darklord · 21st February 2010, 00:28

Quote:

East India Company, whose forces once ruled over much of India, is coming to India again but under Indian ownership this time around, a British newspaper reported Monday.

Indian entrepreneur Sanjiv Mehta, who has bought all the shares in the company, will launch the East India Company's store in the upmarket Mayfair neighbourhood of London in the spring, with plans to open a second by the year-end, The Times reported. This will be followed by stores in India and the Middle East, with concessions in Japanese department stores and franchises in Russia, and finally the US.

The stores will sell teas, coffee and spices - in keeping with the company's 400-year history - but also chocolates, furniture, leather goods, fabrics, homewares, fruit pickles and sushi among 500 planned lines.

“In my lifetime I could not possibly create a brand like this. Nobody could,” Mehta told The Times. “This company has huge potential. What makes this more special is that I am Indian, so there is a huge feeling of redemption for me. It is buying back a company that owned India. “It would be nice to go back to my motherland as the owner. It is very personal to me,” said Mehta, who has invested 10 million pounds into developing the company with the help of wealthy investors.

East India Company coming to India again: report- Hindustan Times

ph03n!x · 21st February 2010, 03:46

I never knew the EIC still existed!!!

Wolfheart · 21st February 2010, 15:47

I don't think that EIC is of any relevance today. India has moved on!

bivin · 21st February 2010, 18:09

EIC and SUSHI?? what is going on??

dodge_v1per · 21st February 2010, 19:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

I never knew the EIC still existed!!!

Same here but i recently read this news elsewhere and its a matter of proud for us that an Indian has bought it.

madan80 · 22nd February 2010, 10:23

+1 to @dodge
more than the fact that the EIC is coming back to india, they are planning on bringing in some high stuff... but a small part of me was proud of the fact that it had been bought over by an Indian.

amtak · 22nd February 2010, 10:55

Indeed a great news. A company that ruled India in the history is now Indian owned. More than the company, I am keen on knowing the items of history that the company would be having in its archives.

Abbas · 22nd February 2010, 11:17

Lets talk practical, at th end of the day it has to survive by cut throat competition by other giants in india and not by its history. so i think emotions will pay less of part than business sense.

rohan_iitr · 22nd February 2010, 11:43

There used to be an advertisement on TV sometime back.

A successful NRI was shown purchasing the East India Company even though it was under losses.

The successful NRI is then shown eating Rajnigandha (Pan Masala) and proudly saying that they have ruled us for so many years, now its our turn.

Was the advertisement inspired by this news, or was it the other way round ?

Rohan

Samurai · 22nd February 2010, 14:31

British East India Company did more than just rule India. They made it possible for Britain to become and remain the most powerful country in the world for 300 years. If not for BEIC, France would have easily won the peninsular war, and most of the world would be talking French instead of English. Americans would be speaking German because of the reduced British influence.

During 18th-19th century, India was the biggest producer of saltpeter, a critical component for gunpowder. Whoever controlled India controlled the world.

There was also a Dutch East India company, but they lost out to Brits.

SilentEngine · 22nd February 2010, 14:42

Some facts:
East India Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
EIC was dissolved long back in 1873. Whoever has bought it now, is just using the name for their own business interests. Don't be fooled by the sweet PR talk.

As an Indian I don't see any reason to celebrate or to take it as a matter of pride. Because it is still a British Company trying to do some kind of business, no different from other international companies.

AltoLXI · 8th April 2023, 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

There was also a Dutch East India company, but they lost out to Brits.

The native name of the Dutch East India company was Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie. Interestingly a VC fund has that name.

Link

Samurai · 8th April 2023, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

As an Indian I don't see any reason to celebrate or to take it as a matter of pride.

After 13 years, if not feel pride, we can at least chuckle at the current situation.

PM of UK: Indian Origin, and Son-in-law of India.
First Minister of Scotland: Pakistani Origin.
PM of Ireland: Son of Indian father.
Mayor of London: Pakistani Origin.

All these are elected positions. You have to give credit to their electorate for choosing leaders without looking at the race or ethnicity.

SilentEngine · 8th April 2023, 14:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

After 13 years, if not feel pride, we can at least chuckle at the current situation.

PM of UK: Indian Origin, and Son-in-law of India.
First Minister of Scotland: Pakistani Origin.
PM of Ireland: Son of Indian father.
Mayor of London: Pakistani Origin.

All these are elected positions. You have to give credit to their electorate for choosing leaders without looking at the race or ethnicity.

Now there is a full website filled with some rich details, may be the guy was serious after all.
https://www.theeastindiacompany.com/

V.Narayan · 8th April 2023, 15:41

Contrarian views coming up.

What a crying shame, Mr Sanjiv Mehta. The real East India Company {EIC} as member @Silentengine correctly says was dissolved effective midnight of 31-12-1873/01-01-1874 by an Act of the British Parliament and the residual value of its proceeds distributed to its shareholders who by definition immensely benefited financially from its criminal activities disguised as trading. That an Indian should set up/buy a namesake and set it up as a high end store is a slap on the face. This would be like a Jewish person setting up a boutique store named after Auschwitz or Bergen Belsen. Complete PR baloney by this Sanjiv Mehta chap. The store still might attract customers if the product mix is right & prices are aimed at whatever is their target market. Far too many in Britain nurse a nostalgia for the Raj and the position it gave them in the world and most of them think of the Empire as a force for good! - talk of ignorance. Sorry for the rant. I won't dwell on the numerous atrocities of the EIC or the Empire lest I bore all of you to sleep.

His website, to be fair to him, portrays the EIC's chronology of facts correctly but the narrative largely skirts any mention of the immense scale of death, famine, theft plain & simple, broken treaties, lies and chicanery the EIC and its officers indulged in for 100 years from 1975 to 1857.

21st February 2010, 03:46	#2
ph03n!x Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 2,604 Thanked: 6,165 Times	I never knew the EIC still existed!!!
	() Thanks

21st February 2010, 15:47	#3
Wolfheart BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bombay Posts: 160 Thanked: 36 Times	I don't think that EIC is of any relevance today. India has moved on!
	(1) Thanks

21st February 2010, 18:09	#4
bivin BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: India Posts: 982 Thanked: 232 Times	EIC and SUSHI?? what is going on??
	() Thanks

22nd February 2010, 10:23	#6
madan80 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 1,358 Thanked: 82 Times View My Garage	+1 to @dodge more than the fact that the EIC is coming back to india, they are planning on bringing in some high stuff... but a small part of me was proud of the fact that it had been bought over by an Indian.
	() Thanks

22nd February 2010, 10:55	#7
amtak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai - The city of Sea Link!!! Posts: 2,984 Thanked: 1,108 Times	Indeed a great news. A company that ruled India in the history is now Indian owned. More than the company, I am keen on knowing the items of history that the company would be having in its archives.
	() Thanks

22nd February 2010, 11:17	#8
Abbas BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Visakhapatnam Posts: 473 Thanked: 581 Times View My Garage	Lets talk practical, at th end of the day it has to survive by cut throat competition by other giants in india and not by its history. so i think emotions will pay less of part than business sense.
	() Thanks

22nd February 2010, 11:43	#9
rohan_iitr Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,149 Thanked: 861 Times	There used to be an advertisement on TV sometime back. A successful NRI was shown purchasing the East India Company even though it was under losses. The successful NRI is then shown eating Rajnigandha (Pan Masala) and proudly saying that they have ruled us for so many years, now its our turn. Was the advertisement inspired by this news, or was it the other way round ? Rohan
	() Thanks

22nd February 2010, 14:31	#10
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 26,006 Thanked: 49,971 Times View My Garage	British East India Company did more than just rule India. They made it possible for Britain to become and remain the most powerful country in the world for 300 years. If not for BEIC, France would have easily won the peninsular war, and most of the world would be talking French instead of English. Americans would be speaking German because of the reduced British influence. During 18th-19th century, India was the biggest producer of saltpeter, a critical component for gunpowder. Whoever controlled India controlled the world. There was also a Dutch East India company, but they lost out to Brits.
	(4) Thanks

22nd February 2010, 14:42	#11
SilentEngine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: KA19,KA04 Posts: 1,167 Thanked: 762 Times View My Garage	Some facts: East India Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia EIC was dissolved long back in 1873. Whoever has bought it now, is just using the name for their own business interests. Don't be fooled by the sweet PR talk. As an Indian I don't see any reason to celebrate or to take it as a matter of pride. Because it is still a British Company trying to do some kind of business, no different from other international companies.
	() Thanks

8th April 2023, 15:41	#15
V.Narayan Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Delhi-NCR Posts: 4,330 Thanked: 72,456 Times	Re: East India Company coming back to India Contrarian views coming up. What a crying shame, Mr Sanjiv Mehta. The real East India Company {EIC} as member @Silentengine correctly says was dissolved effective midnight of 31-12-1873/01-01-1874 by an Act of the British Parliament and the residual value of its proceeds distributed to its shareholders who by definition immensely benefited financially from its criminal activities disguised as trading. That an Indian should set up/buy a namesake and set it up as a high end store is a slap on the face. This would be like a Jewish person setting up a boutique store named after Auschwitz or Bergen Belsen. Complete PR baloney by this Sanjiv Mehta chap. The store still might attract customers if the product mix is right & prices are aimed at whatever is their target market. Far too many in Britain nurse a nostalgia for the Raj and the position it gave them in the world and most of them think of the Empire as a force for good! - talk of ignorance. Sorry for the rant. I won't dwell on the numerous atrocities of the EIC or the Empire lest I bore all of you to sleep. His website, to be fair to him, portrays the EIC's chronology of facts correctly but the narrative largely skirts any mention of the immense scale of death, famine, theft plain & simple, broken treaties, lies and chicanery the EIC and its officers indulged in for 100 years from 1975 to 1857. Last edited by Turbanator : 9th April 2023 at 17:33. Reason: as requested.
	(6) Thanks