Gov. Gen. Lord Aucklad's Bronze Statue of Kolkata: Why was it sent to New Zealand?

Navrang India February 08, 2025

Gov. Gen. Lord  Auckland of India Lord
upload.wikimedia.org 

Above image:  George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland  GCB, PC (25 August 1784 -1 January 1849) was an English Whig politician and colonial administrator.   Educated  at Eton, and Christ Church, Oxford, and was called to the Bar, Lincoln's Inn, in 1809, he was thrice First Lord of the Admiralty and also served as Governor-General of India between 1836 and 1842. The province of Auckland, including the present regions of Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne along with the city of Auckland, in New Zealand was named after him. Image credit: Lowes Cato Dickinson

statue of Lord Auckland, NZ istockphoto.com

The removal of Lord Auckland’s statue from Kolkata in 1969 was a significant event in the broader effort to erase remnants of British colonial rule in India. This move was part of a larger initiative undertaken by the United Front government led by the Communist Party of India (CPI), which sought to eliminate symbols of imperialism from the city’s public spaces. Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, had been the capital of British India until 1911 and remained a city deeply imprinted with colonial legacy, exemplified by the numerous statues of British rulers and officials that adorned its streets and squares.  Symbolic of imperial  power, authority, defiance, ideals, values. Colonial pride, the colonists  erected statues of  colonial officers as a remark of their contribution. In the first decade after independence the Indian government was busy with ways and means to mange the land that was overexploited and looted by the British. The Divide India had to take care of poor and emaciated people, so obviously, paid little attention to the statues of colonial heroes in Presidencies like Kolkata(Calcutta) and Mumbai (Bombay).

During the late 1960s and 1970s, a wave of decolonization efforts gained momentum, and the removal of colonial-era statues became a political statement. The government of West Bengal removed 37 statues of British administrators, generals, and governors-general, viewing them as relics of subjugation. These statues were replaced with figures of prominent Indian leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Subhash Chandra Bose, aligning with the prevailing nationalist sentiment. Also included were some patriots.

Among the statues removed was that of George Eden, the 1st Earl of Auckland, who served as the Governor-General of India from 1836 to 1842. His tenure was marked by controversial policies, including his involvement in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838–1842), which ended disastrously for the British. His administration was also criticized for its handling of the 1838 famine in northern India, further tainting his legacy.

In 1969, Lord Auckland’s bronze statue, which had stood in Kolkata since 1848, was gifted by the West Bengal government to Auckland, New Zealand. Paradoxically, the former Governor general never set his foot on Newzeland. This decision was based on the historical connection between Lord Auckland and the New Zealand city named after him. The statue was transported and installed near Aotea Square, outside the Civic Administration Building. The New Zealand Insurance Co. Ltd. bore  the cost for its installation at Aotea Square in Auckland,  However, its presence there became a subject of debate in later years, as it faced removal due to shifting attitudes toward colonial-era figures.

Patriot  Khudiram's statue in the place of lord Auckland,
Kolkata, India

The removal of Lord Auckland’s statue from Kolkata reflected a broader movement to reclaim public spaces by honoring Indian leaders rather than colonial rulers.  In 1972, on the empty plinth of Auckland’s statue in Kolkata was erected  the statue of  a young patriot - Khudiram Bose, who at the age of 19, went to the gallows for killing a British officer.  His statue is close to Esplanade metro Station.

Although roads and landmarks named after senior British administrators  largely remained unchanged at the time of freedom, the statue removals signified an effort to redefine Kolkata’s historical narrative, prioritizing India’s struggle for independence and remembering its national heroes of  colonial past. In many Indian cities like Mumbai, Chennai (Madras), etc., in the later years, the many colonial statues were removed from public places and sent to the the  dark corners of the local Museums. There they gather dust no Indian visitors want to see them. 

 Indians across the country don't want the relics of colonial pride to stay. Neither the British government nor the the British royal family members have made an official apology to India for their past colonial atrocities.  Roughly 4 million Bengalis faced death in the 1943 the great Bengal famine  which was partly caused by former PM Winston Churchill. 

https://www.navrangindia.in/2021/01/lord-auckland-gov-gen-of-india.html

https://www.outlookindia.com/national/statues-that-travelled-the-india-story--news-83301