During 200 years of British colonial rule, tens of thousands of Indian artefacts — sculptures, manuscripts, ritual objects, weapons, jewels — were removed from the subcontinent. Many were taken as spoils of war. Others were bought under duress, or simply pocketed by administrators. Today they sit in British museums, private collections, and institutional storerooms.

This petition is a single, specific ask: the return of those artefacts to India. Not restitution of pride alone — restoration of context. Objects re-joined to the places, languages, and histories they were taken from.

Repatriation is already happening in fits and starts around the world. Nigeria’s Benin Bronzes are going home. Aboriginal remains are being returned by museums across Europe. India’s case is one of the largest, and the most under-discussed. This is a call to change that.