How Literature Shaped Nations: The Parallel Legacies of Walter Scott and Bankim Chandra

by Soniya Basu | Jun 2, 2025 | Cultural Integration, Culture & Community

Beneath the soaring spire of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, one reflects on the enduring power of storytelling. Especially when considering the literary legacy of Sir Walter Scott and Bankim Chandra—two voices separated by continents but united in purpose.

🖋️ Two Quills Across Continents

Sir Walter Scott, immortalized in stone beneath the gothic arches, was more than a novelist. He was the voice of a nation, shaping Scotland’s soul through verse and fiction.

Thousands of miles away, in a land equally steeped in history and complexity, another quill was at work—Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Though they never met, and though they wrote in different languages and times, Scott and Bankim Chandra shared something powerful. They both believed literature could shape a nation. Their pens were swords. Their ink, a balm and a beacon.

For instance, Scott’s works, from Waverley to Ivanhoe, romanticized Scotland’s past. He brought Highlanders, heroes, and haunting landscapes to life. He built national pride not through manifestos but through stories. By blending folklore, myth, and memory, he gave Scotland a voice in an age of cultural suppression.

Similarly, Bankim Chandra—often called the father of the Indian novel—carried a torch for India’s identity. With Anandamath and the song “Vande Mataram,” he ignited Indian nationalism through fiction. His stories mixed history with spiritual and moral questions. He gave readers not just stories, but purpose and unity under colonial rule.

Their similarities are striking. Both drew inspiration from their land. Both used narrative to protect cultural identity. And both showed that words, when used with heart and conviction, can move people more than any speech or weapon.

The impact of Sir Walter Scott and Bankim Chandra goes beyond their era. Their words remain timeless.

As I stood before the Scott Monument, I thought of Bankim Chandra. I felt the invisible thread between them—a literary kinship that defied geography. Scott carved Scotland into legend. Bankim sang India into being.

In fact, their legacy lives beyond books and statues. It lives in the spirit of two nations shaped by stories and imagination.

✍️ Poetic Tribute: Two Quills, One Spirit

Beneath the skies of Edinburgh’s grace,
Where gothic towers the skyline trace,
Sir Walter penned in ink so bold—
The tales of clans, of hearts grown old.

In distant lands where Ganges flows,
Bankim’s pen like monsoon rose,
With “Vande Mataram” he stirred a flame,
A nation’s soul, a hallowed name.

One sang of Scotland’s ancient pride,
Of warriors lost and love denied.
The other wrote of Dharma’s fight,
Of sacred soil and morning light.

Two pens, two lands, yet hearts aligned—
In verse they etched their nation’s mind.
From thistle hills to banyan shade,
Their stories live, their voices stayed.

So let the monument touch the skies,
As memory in stone shall rise.
For East and West, through time and art,
Both wrote the soul of their people’s heart.

The stories of Sir Walter Scott and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay remind us that culture and imagination know no borders. At ScottishIndian.com, we celebrate the vibrant threads that connect Scotland and India—through art, literature, music, and everyday moments.

👉 Explore more cultural connections in our Blogs or join the conversation in our Whatsapp Community.

Indian NRIs Aren’t the Problem in the UK— But Victims of an Unspoken Double Standard

by Soniya Basu | May 30, 2025 | Cultural Integration, Culture & Community

On behalf of all Indian Immigrant in the UK

The Convenient Blame Game

In times of social anxiety and economic strain, immigrants are often the first to be blamed.

“You’re taking our jobs.”
“You’re changing our culture.”
“You don’t integrate.”

For Indian NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) in the UK, this rhetoric is familiar. But what’s rarely acknowledged is the irony behind it: those accusing us of cultural disruption come from a nation with centuries of history exporting its own culture—mostly forcefully—around the world.

From Colonisers to Critics: The Cultural Struggle of Indian Immigrants in the UK

Between the 17th and 20th centuries, Britain colonised nearly a quarter of the world’s land and people. It didn’t just extract resources but topped it with exported British laws, religion, education systems, and values to countries that never asked for them. 👉 Learn more: BBC Bitesize – British Rule in India

• Indian languages were replaced in schools by English.
• British Christianity was promoted at the expense of native faiths.
• Local governance and community systems were dismantled.
• Entire generations were taught to think in ways that favoured the coloniser’s worldview.

In short: British colonialism wasn’t cultural exchange. It was cultural domination.

And yet today, when Indian immigrants politely cook their food, wear their clothes, and speak their languages within their own communities, they’re told they’re “not integrating” or “changing the British way of life.”

Really?

Indian NRIs in the UK are not coming to impose. We are not missionaries. We are not rewriting your schoolbooks. We are not asking for Britain to change its identity.

We are doctors in your hospitals, educators in your schools, and researchers in your universities.
Our presence is felt not in disruption, but in contribution—often more than we receive. 👉 Explore: MEA – Indian NRI Global Contributions

We are contributing—often more than we receive. And yet, we face:

• Systemic discrimination in jobs and housing
• Underrepresentation in leadership positions
• Racism, both overt and subtle
• Visa insecurity, despite years of tax-paying contribution
• And worst of all, constant suspicion—as if we’re here to take something rather than give.

👉 Read more: India Today – Indian Diaspora and UK Politics

Indian NRIs in the UK vs. Colonial Memory: Who’s Reshaping Culture?

Is it the Indian family quietly celebrating Diwali with their neighbours?
Or the British Empire that rewrote entire cultures for centuries, from Bengal to Jamaica?

Is it the Indian software engineer coding British fintech products?
Or the colonial administrators who removed local governance systems and replaced them with laws that privileged the coloniser?

Let’s not pretend this is about “cultural preservation.”
It’s about control. And it’s about memory ,specifically, selective memory.
Specifically, the kind of memory that remembers only what flatters the mirror. A rich culture of remembrance, if only there had been one to begin with.

The truth is, India today is confident in its culture. Despite centuries of oppression, we have preserved our languages, our traditions, our values. And now, as India rises on the global stage, its diaspora reflects that same confidence. Thus, India’s cultural confidence is a victim to Britain’s cultural anxiety.

We don’t want to erase anyone else’s identity. We just want to exist with dignity.

Yet here in the UK, where identity is increasingly politicised, immigrants become easy targets for the things that have gone wrong. Whether that’s in the economy, public services, or social cohesion — which is a result of unplanned governance on theirs.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Indian NRIs are not breaking the system. We’re often the ones helping to keep it standing.

Why Indian Immigrants in the UK Deserve Respect, Not Rejection

British society often asks immigrants to “assimilate”—which is really just a polite way of saying, “Could you maybe not look so… immigrant?”

But look closely, and you’ll see: it’s not Indian culture that’s the threat. It’s the unwillingness of systems to include anything unfamiliar.

Wearing sarees and turbans is how we honour our roots—not a statement of separation.
Speaking Hindi or Tamil connects us to generations before us.
And when we celebrate our festivals, it’s to enrich the shared cultural fabric—not disrupt it.

This isn’t an invasion.
This is coexistence.

We don’t want domination, look back in history, we’ve seen what that looks like. We still live with its consequences back home. What we want is:

• Respect for our contribution
• Fair opportunity
• Space to be ourselves without suspicion
• And a recognition that integration is a two-way street

We are not asking Britain to apologise for the past—but we do ask that it not repeat it in modern form.

If Indian immigrants seem protective of their culture, perhaps it’s because we’ve seen what happens when it’s taken away.

If we seem quiet in the face of injustice, perhaps it’s because we’ve learned to endure.

But don’t mistake that silence for consent.
And don’t mistake our presence for imposition.

We didn’t colonise anyone.
We didn’t rewrite history.

About the Author

An Indian immigrant in the UK who believes in cultural coexistence, historical clarity, and building bridges without losing roots. A firm believer that progress doesn’t require erasure but only requires respect.

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