There comes a time in a man’s life when he may well stand back and consider what he has built, planted, written or begotten and whether it was worth doing. If in such a mood the English—and by that I mean all those who speak English: Chaucer and Drake, Milton and Marlborough, Clive and Hastings, belong to us all—if the English look back on their varied history, the long connection with India will be an achievement that cannot be ignored. It is too soon to say if it will last. But though the political structure may change to something unrecognizable, it is hard to believe that the impress of English ways, of thinking will vanish altogether. And the achievement itself, whatever the future holds, is surely a matter for pride. There are many ways of looking at it.