Srinagar, Jan. 26 -- The first batch of white men traders landed in the territory of India, a land of peace and tranquility, in 1608 under the banner of the East India Company, ostensibly for commercial purposes, but internally driven by political ambitions.They started as traders but gradually ended up as rulers of the land. The British governed Indian territories through Company rule from 1773 to 1858. Thereafter, in 1858, in the wake of the Sepoy Mutiny, the British Crown assumed direct control over India, a rule that lasted for nearly one hundred years. India finally gained independence in 1947; however, the legal and constitutional framework of the country had already begun to take shape from 1946. Ultimately, these efforts were cons...