The question is: Why should we not ask it back considering it is a very important artifact and it will restore the hurt pride of Indians and also help reinforcing the world opinion that India should not be trifled with now that it is an economic and a military power? If might is right, this is a golden opportunity for India to gain as much diplomatic advantage to its interests as possible and getting our ancient artifacts will bring back a sense of pride in Indians and give them renewed vigor and patriotism.
I don't think we have to get back Kohinoor or Tip Sultan's sword or Tagore's pictures to feel any sense of pride about being Indian. I'm already proud for my country, but unlike many I don't want to dwell on what once had been.
Also, do you really want to compare the world 'diplomatic' scenario or 'international relationship' of that period to modern world? Well, waste you time - after all it's your time.
Destroying a greater civilization? Care to explain?
Indus Valley civilization, which fell prey to Aryan invasion.
Which timeline are you talking about? Every culture arose from barbarians by definition. What kind of stupid statement is this? The entire world by that definition carries the blood of barbarians.
Oops! I made a mistake in forming my sentence. I meant to say Aryans were barbarians compared to Indus Valley people. Indus Valley civilizations were hundreds of years ahead of Aryans in terms of civilization. Just take a peek at any Indian History books, and I wont have to answer whys. If I may, I would use a very big 'IF'. IF Aryans were defeated by Indus Valley people, human race might have reached stars by now. But, hey, it was a course of history. Had it not happened you or I, none would have been seating in front of a computer, or PDA, and discussing/fighting over this issue.
We do live in the real world. In today's 'Real World', India can throw its weight around, and it is indeed doing it.
Sure India can throw her weight around, although it seems to me Mannu Paji needs a tuition for it. But hey, stranger things have happened! But any sensible person knows that throwing its weight up and down, and in every issue, is called bullying - and yes, in international diplomacy bullying works great, but the bully needs to have a lots of muscle to back him up. Do you really think India has that muscle - leave military muscle aside, even a brain-dead knows India wont start a skirmish with UK just for a shiny piece of rock - but economical or diplomatic muscle? Last I checked it isn't. It will be a huge economical power in future, but it isn't now. And now is what one should think, since now is when you want to campaign for it.
The Brits won't hand it back, but we will get it back from them. This lobbying has been going on for decades, even when we were a poor nation because unlike you, the diplomats and the government realizes the importance of national artifacts and its effects on its junta.
Oookey, now just tell me how can you get that back if Brits wont part with it. Lobbying alone will never do - at least for the case of Kohinoor. And I don't think even you wouldn't say India would start boycotting
brits, or sanctioning against UK or to think complete insanity, wage war on it. Do you?
So, I suggest you leave the effort to India's government because they are doing the right thing here and go back to whatever you do for a living because this is clearly above your paygrade.
Oh honey, it's definitely above my pay grade. Since people at my pay grade have to work and sweat. And if I haven't mistaken, majority of Indian people are from my paygrade - the low one. Unfortunately, in this paygrade we don't have the luxury of thinking about the lost glory but hoping for a brighter future with me in it.
But then in my state, the CM is more concerned about the Tagore's pictures (which as I understood he himself gifted to somebody, then went to a trust and now being auctioned for a good cause where future owners will take good care of them since they are paying a good money- a perfectly legitimate thing) than threat of Maoist terrorists. I guess, after all, it is good opportunity of vacationing at Britain, sponsored by tax-payers money. A low stress venture in diplomatic mud, should be sort of vacationing for the diplomat who had to deal constantly with a growing nation's demand at other more intricate dealings of greater complexity.