How the West Shapes India’s Population Narrative: From Eugenics to Forced Sterilization

Words by Sumaiya Motara

Welcome to the Brown History Newsletter. If you’re enjoying this labor of love, please do consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your contribution would help pay the writers and illustrators and support this weekly publication. If you like to submit a writing piece, please send me a pitch by email at brownhistory1947@gmail.com.

Don’t forget to check out our SHOP and our Podcast

This painting was done by Horace Van Ruith in the 1880s as a documentary record of costume and jewelry of the region of Punjab. The woman is wearing her full set of head, ear, nose, neck, arm, hand, ankle and foot jewelry and a costume richly decorated with 'zardozi' (gold wire/thread) embroidery. She lifts her blue gathered skirt with gold-embroidered border to show her silver anklets and toe rings, and at the same time shows the mirror ring on the thumb of her left hand and gold finger rings attached to her bracelets by gold chains. Her shoes are in front of her bare feet. (Available now as Print)

---

Recommended Reads:

From Colonialism to H-1B Visa: How British Colonial Education Policies Shaped Modern Racism

The Curse Stories of the Kohinoor & Hope Diamonds

---

---

How the West Shapes India’s Population Narrative: From Eugenics to Forced Sterilization

Family planning was meant to give people control over their lives, but in India the the population control movement went horribly wrong.

Last month, I came across a BBC article titled "Why a Nation of 1.45 Billion Wants More Children." At first glance, it seemed like troubling news. Why would a country already grappling with overcrowding and poverty want to raise its birth rate?

Alongside a feature image of countless brown hands pressed between faceless brown bodies, the headline seems designed to provoke fear—suggesting that Indians are reproducing recklessly, defying the will of the world.

In reality, the article reveals a far more nuanced picture: many Indian states are now facing an aging population, slowing India’s economic aspirations. Only an average of two children are being born per family.

But for some readers, this clarification came too late.

The Instagram post promoting this article—featuring images of overcrowded spaces, infants lying beside piles of rubbish, and blurred, faceless individuals—sparked a wave of ruthless comments.

Babies do not “deserve to live in extreme poverty in India”, said one comment. Another argued India should “stop reproducing” completely. One user suggested India’s population aim is to “dominate the world”.

These reactions are not spontaneous outrage; they are the product of the media’s calculated, sensationalist framing of India’s population.

But why is Western media so obsessed with promoting population alarmism? What crucial context is omitted when these narratives are pushed? And what misinformed tropes are woven into these narratives?