Article ID: CBB391441254

‘Sovereignty of the air’: The Indian princely states, the British Empire and carving out of air-space (1911–1933) (2022)

unapi

Who owns the skies? Under British colonialism, the ownership of the skies of India was a contested matter. The onset of aviation presented a challenge to the territorial understanding between the British and semi-sovereign Indian princes, Paramountcy (1858–1947). Technology itself was a tricky area: roadways, railways, telegraphs, and the wireless were nibbling away at the sovereign spheres which Paramountcy had put in place. This paper looks at the history of aviation in princely India, from aviation enthusiasts such as the rulers of Kapurthala, Jodhpur and Bikaner to subversive princes like the Maharaja of Patiala who worked towards a military air force. The paper tracks the three stages of the journey of aviation in princely India, from individual consumption, to the historical context of World War One which aided its access and usage, and finally, the collective princely legal assertion over the vertical air above them in the position, ‘sovereignty of air’. The government’s civil aviation policy in India remained ambiguous about the princes’ rights over the air till 1931 when their sovereignty of the sky was finally recognised. The paper focuses on the Indian princes varied engagement with aviation, modernity and their space in the world.

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Authors & Contributors
Linstrum, Erik
Mamat, Mohd Zufri
Arman, Ezwan
Swamy, Anand V.
George, Joppan
William Dalrymple
Concepts
Colonialism
Great Britain, colonies
Technology and politics
Cross-cultural interaction; cultural influence
Aviation
Technology and race
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
18th century
17th century
Modern
21st century
Places
India
South Africa
Hong Kong
Great Britain
Africa
Malay Peninsula
Institutions
East India Company (English)
British East India Company
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