Long Read: Returning heritage Filed on April 30, 2021 | Last updated on April 30, 2021 at 10.12 am Gifted, looted or stolen — Britain has a large number of priceless artefacts from India, other former colonies and elsewhere. but now, some are on their way back home as demands grow Stepping into India House in central London is like stepping back in time. Designed by the legendary architect Herbert Baker and inaugurated by King George V in 1930, the home of India’s high commission is a blend of change and continuity, with paintings, portraits, busts, artefacts and symbols of modernity set in the high-domed, colonial-style structure. There have been 27 Indian high commissioners since independence in 1947, but rarely have they been as busy as recent envoys, who, since 2016, have overseen the return of several priceless objects that were stolen from India and ended up in the antiques art market in London. The returns happened in the context of intense debates about the wider issue of decolonising public spaces, museums, universities and restituting artefacts that were gifted or looted during centuries of colonial rule in India and elsewhere, including the iconic ‘Kohinoor’ diamond.