Reverse Colonialism ?

Ford says TATA to Jaguar

India's Tata Motors announced its entry into the international luxury car market with some style as the company snapped up two of Britain's most famous names in automobile manufacturing, Jaguar and Land Rover, in a $2.3 billion deal the Ford, their american owners.

Shekhar Kapur, the film director from India now living in Britain, noted on his blog in January, “Like all Indians, I too walk a little prouder in London with the Jaguar and Land Rover brands almost owned by Tata.”

Seen as another indication of Indian companies' global ambitions, this acquisition is considered as a poetic justice to the colonial past. An Indian company owning the two top brands of luxury cars of its past colonial master.


We are soon going to lose any national identities, I feel. Globalisation means free flow of capital across national borders without any restrictions. Money is the most important criterion in many things today. So, soon it does not matter which country we belong to.

Earlier years, I might have felt happy if an 'Indian' company succeeded. But, today, which is Indian and which is not is too difficult to say. Tatas may be surely Indian. But, I won't know the colour of many of the Indian companies. The headquarters may be here, but the majority shares might be by non-Indians.

So, I don't think there is anything to feel proud about an Indian company acquiring big companies in Europe. In any case, what did I do for this growth in Tatas or Mittals to feel proud ?