On the other hand, if you're not in the UK it's located outside your control and there's no reason to suspect the Brits would give it back no matter what campaign you started unless the campaign involves a large military force.
When the US 7th Army eventually leaves Europe they'll be stopping over London for a few days to empty out the British Museum for hauling back to the US so's to establish a nice permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian. Probably the K diamond will get snagged at the same time for the First Lady of the US.
You could test the idea by focusing on some other item they hauled away, someting in the British Museum, and see whether you can get that back through a nationwide campaign. If it works you might stand a remote chance of getting the K diamond.I want to start a Nationwide Campaign to bring back the kohi-i-noor. How do i go about it?
Bring it back to where? Is this another ';The Koh-i-noor is the property of the Sikhs'; campaign?
The Koh-i-noor was NEVER the property of the Sikh nation. It was the property of A sikh - Ranjit Singh, the Lion of the Punjab. It as also briefly the possession of his supposed (his paternity is more than a little doubtful) son, Dalip. It was surrendered to the British as part of the treaty which ended the First Sikh War - one of the few wars in India which the British neither started nor provoked.
Well and good - but where did Ranjit Singh get it? Answer - Afghanistan. There were three brothers competing for the throne of Afghanistan, and one of them appealed to Ranjit for help. His intervention as decisive; and as part of the spoils he demanded the Koh-i-noor. He as not too picky about how he went about obtaining it, either - locking the previous owner and his family up, and denying them food or water until the location of the diamond was disclosed.
So: if the British cannot keep the Koh-i-noor as spoils of war, then neither can the Sikhs.
Further back; the Koh-i-noor had been in Afghanistan for three generations. But it was stolen property. When the Persian empire had one of its periodic upheavals, a certain general made a run for it with all the loot he could lay his hands on; and set himself up in Afghanistan. Incidentally, it was in Persia that the Koh-i-noor was given its name.
Further back; the Koh-i-noor was a spoil of war when Babur, the first of the Moghuls, was victorious at the battle of Panipat in 1527.
Further back; the Koh-i-noor was a spoil of war when Aladdin overthrew the Sultan of Malwah in 1304. Yes, I did say Aladdin - though more properly I should've said Allah-ud-din.
Get the picture? The Koh-i-noor has been fought over, looted, stolen and lusted after for centuries. As to who really owns it, who can say?
However; for the last 150 years it has been on public display in the Tower of London (not the British Museum, as an idiot above claims); and no blood has been spilt over it. Let it stay there.
No comments:
Post a Comment