The East India Company, the once-powerful British trading firm that ruled large parts of India and heralded the British colonisation of the country, has closed down, again, this time as a luxury retailer in London. The original East India Company went dormant nearly 152 years ago, but was revived by a British-Indian businessman in 2010, by buying the rights to the name. That East India Company project has now ended, after going bankrupt.
The East India Company’s rule in India was taken over by the British government after the 1857 Indian Rebellion, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. The British Crown took over its control in 1858, which marked the start of the direct British Raj in India.
The East India Company’s legacy is mostly seen in…