LONDON: The East India Company’s name has been synonymous with the colonial exploitation of South Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, since the 16th century. Today, in one of the great ironies of history, it is owned by an Indian.

Founded in London in 1600 to trade spices, the East India Company was authorized by its charter to wage war. Over the next 250 years, it dominated the Indian subcontinent and used brute military force to conquer large chunks of the Mughal Empire, including India, present-day Pakistan, Bangladesh and half of Afghanistan.