The 150-year period of British rule has had a lasting impact on the Indian population, leading to feelings of inferiority and self-hatred, according to the RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale. During British rule, a narrative was developed that led people to feel they were slaves and the "white mans burden". Hosabale criticized the intellectual class during British rule, who started to believe in a narrative that portrayed Indians as unintelligent, uncivilized, and lacking in contributions to the world.