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The Raj at War: A People’s History of India’s Second World War
The Second World War was not fought by Britain alone. India produced the largest volunteer army in world history:over 2 million men. But, until now, there has never been a comprehensive account of India's turbulent home front and the nexus between warfare and India’s society.
At the heart of The Raj at War are the many lives and voices of ordinary Indian people. From the first Indian to win the Victoria Cross in the war to the three soldiers imprisoned as ‘traitors to the Raj’ who returned to a hero’s welcome, from the nurses in Indian General Hospitals to the labourers, prostitutes and families—their testimonies reveal the great upheaval experienced throughout the land.
Yasmin Khan presents the hidden and sometimes overlooked history of India at war, and shows how mobilisation for the war introduced seismic processes of economic, cultural and social change—decisively shaping the international war effort, the unravelling of the empire and India’s own political and economic trajectory.
At the heart of The Raj at War are the many lives and voices of ordinary Indian people. From the first Indian to win the Victoria Cross in the war to the three soldiers imprisoned as ‘traitors to the Raj’ who returned to a hero’s welcome, from the nurses in Indian General Hospitals to the labourers, prostitutes and families—their testimonies reveal the great upheaval experienced throughout the land.
Yasmin Khan presents the hidden and sometimes overlooked history of India at war, and shows how mobilisation for the war introduced seismic processes of economic, cultural and social change—decisively shaping the international war effort, the unravelling of the empire and India’s own political and economic trajectory.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2015
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1394 people want to read
About the author
Yasmin Cordery Khan
4 books118 followersYasmin Cordery Khan is a British historian and novelist, and teaches at the University of Oxford. She is the author of the Great Partition, The Raj at War (also published in the US as India at War) Edgware Road and Overland. She has been long listed for prizes including the Orwell Prize, the Authors' Club of Great Britain First Novel Prize, the PEN Hesell-Tiltman and won the Gladstone Prize for history.
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December 22, 2015
When I was in high school in India, the study of History covered India's struggle for Independence with extensive commentary on what happened during the first half of the twentieth century, leading to Freedom in 1947. However, the 1940s were marked mainly by the Congress Party's 'Quit India' movement, the disastrous famine in Bengal, the imprisonment of all the Congress leaders and the ascent of the Muslim League leading to the partition of India. There was hardly any mention of the impact of World War II on India or of Indians fighting in North and East Africa, Europe and the Middle-East for the British Empire. The Indian National Army (INA) led by Subhas Bose, fighting in SE Asia and making common cause with the Axis powers to liberate India from British rule, found some mention but the main focus was always on the non-violent struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. Consequently, most Indians like me have little idea of the role played by Indians in the Second World War and how it impacted the struggle for Independence. One can understand the reasons for a narrative that excluded this part of Indian history because the Indian Republic was built on the idea of non-violence, democracy and secularism and India's post-independence education did not want to dwell much on the role of the World War in accelerating the exit of the British from India. On the other side of this story, in Britain, post-war reconstruction and regeneration quietly erased the Indian contribution which was at odds with the story of plucky small-island British heroism standing up to Fascism against all odds. So there was no room either in the British narrative for including the role of the soldiers from the occupied lands of the Empire. There is a need to fill this very important hole in modern Indian history and this is where this book comes in. Author Khan does a splendid job to tell us the forgotten story of undivided India's contribution in the Second World War through personal accounts of soldiers, seamen, peasants, orderlies, cooks, washermen, tailors, nurses, prostitutes - all of whose lives were turned inside out by the War. In short, the author says, "Britain did not fight the Second World War, the British Empire did".
Reading the book turned out to be a revelation for me. It was a shock as well because it brought home to me how ignorant I was about such recent Indian history. For the generations of Indians who were born after Independence like me, the phrase 'India at War' simply meant the three major conflicts in 1962 (China), 1965 and 1971 (Pakistan). In these three conflicts together, India perhaps saw less than 10000 deaths. In contrast, India's role in WWII shows that as many as 2.5 million Indians fought on the side of the Empire and as many as 89000 were casualties. Indians had fought in Tobruk, in Imphal, in Eritrea and in Lebanon.
Author Khan brings the irony and sadness of this undocumented story through the poignant words of a Nepali peasant woman, whose husband was drafted into the army to fight faraway in Europe. She says, "I hear the whole world was fighting but why they needed my son's father to settle it, I can't understand". The simple fact was, unlike the British and other allied European nations, Indians did not see the Second World War as a clear cut, epic ideological struggle or even as a 'just war'. Many in Britain, not just Churchill and the pro-imperialists, believed that India's opposition to the war was based on its inability to see the international picture because of its backward, irrational, uneducated and superstitious people. Little did they understand that in 1939, on the eve of the War, Indians had an average longevity of 26, a literacy rate of 12.5 %, poverty at 90% of the population and a ruinous subjugation of political rights. South Asians were mainly concerned with what the war meant for the political future of their own country and not with Fascism.
What I liked most in the book is its colorful depiction of history, through the eyes and words of the many participants, which gives it a panoramic view. There aren't just the accounts of Indian peasants, mothers and businessmen but also that of American GIs, Polish refugees, Chinese soldiers in India, British memsaabs and many others. Though the book is scholarly in its approach, the author has mixed an academic style of writing with anecdotes of lived human history in an engaging manner. I liked the considerable attention in the book to the mercurial freedom fighter, Aruna Asaf Ali, and how her transformation from a Gandhian to a militant revolutionary occurred in the 1940s.
Any book dealing with the 1940s in India has to contend with the horrendous Bengal famine of 1943. It is a bone of contention between Indian and British historians. Scholars like Mukherjee have laid the blame at the door of Churchill and the British administration in India. English historians have disputed the charge of wilful neglect of starving Indians in favor of British troops in SE Asia and elsewhere. Author Yasmin Khan says that this debate may never be resolved but points out certain incontrovertible facts for us to mull over. In the 1940s, there was the fear that Japan would invade India on the eastern sea side and so the colonial administration destroyed as many as 20000 boats that Bengali fishermen used normally to catch fish and move essential commodities to all those villages which are reachable only through water. As a result, the rural agrarian economy in Bengal was destroyed completely thereby laying the possible roots of the famine. Khan says that the British administration took the approach that some peoples' lives were not worth preserving and that the state should be geared to prioritizing the war at all costs above human lives. Two singularly hostile and unsympathetic leaders in Churchill and Linlithgow didn't help matters either. There is much evidence to corroborate such discrimination by what happened earlier in Burma. As many as 600000 Indians fled Burma for India on foot when the Japanese onslaught started. But 80000 of them never made it home. At crucial bottlenecks when leaving Burma, Europeans were prioritized, accessing safe passage away from the Japanese, leaving Indians stranded. The author cites the Tamu-Palel Road in Burma being closed to Indians but open for escape for the British.
Such British conduct in India during the war completely removed whatever little legitimacy the colonial regime had in the eyes of Indians. The return of hundreds of thousands of sepoys from Europe, the middle-east and Africa and the inspirational courage and struggle of Subhas Bose's Indian National Army (INA) made the younger generation impatient for freedom and less inclined towards the epic non-violent struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Congress Party was forced to capitalize on the mass groundswell of support for the INA. In this context, Churchill's victory speech of 'Long live freedom, Advance Britannia' sounded incongruous to Indian ears. How could the cause of freedom live alongside the advance of 'Rule Brittania'? With all the major Congress leaders in prison and those of the Muslim League outside, Gandhi and Nehru in 1944 found that Jinnah had consolidated his support for the partition of India among the Muslims of Bengal and Punjab. Author Khan says that the War simply unleashed forces in India and Britain uncontrollably to rapidly accelerate the exit of the British from India.
India saw massive refugee and other influxes into the country - Jews and Poles from Europe, Indians and Brits from Burma and large internal migration from rural to urban India. There were many British and American troops coming to India as well, to train for the fight in Asia. Out of the 150000 American troops, some 22000 were black GIs. In addition, over 100000 African troops also disembarked in India along with another 100000 Chinese troops belonging to Chiang-Kai-Shek's Kuomintang.
Race discrimination was a fact of life under Colonialism and war time was no different. In India, the British Military decided on training Indians in Hindustani rather than in English because 'it would be easier for ten thousand comparatively intelligent Englishmen to reach a high standard in Hindustani than to instruct a million far less intelligent Indians in English. In actuality however, many Indian sepoys ended up communicating effectively in English within a short time!
Even sex was affected by race. In the Eritrean city of Asmara, soon after the fall of Keren, two sets of racially segregated brothels were established, one for Indians and one for the British.
Apparently, the British administration in India was wary of so many black American GIs in India, feeling that Indians are a hierarchical and color conscious people and hence, the black soldiers may experience discrimination during their stay. The book notes that, in the end, the black GIs got on quite well with Indians but were discriminated against by their own senior officers in the US army! After all, it was still the 1940s!
I think this book is a seminal contribution to modern India's history. Textbooks in India must be updated using this book to include the core details of India's participation in the War and its impact on the independence movement and how it hastened the exit of Britain. The book shows vividly how the massive scale of India's participation in the war by way of soldiers and resources had the simultaneous effect of bringing home to Indians the proof (if it was needed) that the British were there primarily to advance only their own interests at all costs, thereby making it extremely difficult for them to continue their occupation of India. It is extremely difficult to document such history, ground-up from the viewpoint of the foot soldiers, especially in a country like India in the mid-20th century, because most of them were illiterate and they do not put down any of their experiences or thoughts in writing. This has always been the problem with other Indian expatriate experiences as indentured labor in Africa, West Indies and Fiji too. But Yasmin Khan has been able to accomplish such a difficult task and craft a book that is an absorbing read.
Reading the book turned out to be a revelation for me. It was a shock as well because it brought home to me how ignorant I was about such recent Indian history. For the generations of Indians who were born after Independence like me, the phrase 'India at War' simply meant the three major conflicts in 1962 (China), 1965 and 1971 (Pakistan). In these three conflicts together, India perhaps saw less than 10000 deaths. In contrast, India's role in WWII shows that as many as 2.5 million Indians fought on the side of the Empire and as many as 89000 were casualties. Indians had fought in Tobruk, in Imphal, in Eritrea and in Lebanon.
Author Khan brings the irony and sadness of this undocumented story through the poignant words of a Nepali peasant woman, whose husband was drafted into the army to fight faraway in Europe. She says, "I hear the whole world was fighting but why they needed my son's father to settle it, I can't understand". The simple fact was, unlike the British and other allied European nations, Indians did not see the Second World War as a clear cut, epic ideological struggle or even as a 'just war'. Many in Britain, not just Churchill and the pro-imperialists, believed that India's opposition to the war was based on its inability to see the international picture because of its backward, irrational, uneducated and superstitious people. Little did they understand that in 1939, on the eve of the War, Indians had an average longevity of 26, a literacy rate of 12.5 %, poverty at 90% of the population and a ruinous subjugation of political rights. South Asians were mainly concerned with what the war meant for the political future of their own country and not with Fascism.
What I liked most in the book is its colorful depiction of history, through the eyes and words of the many participants, which gives it a panoramic view. There aren't just the accounts of Indian peasants, mothers and businessmen but also that of American GIs, Polish refugees, Chinese soldiers in India, British memsaabs and many others. Though the book is scholarly in its approach, the author has mixed an academic style of writing with anecdotes of lived human history in an engaging manner. I liked the considerable attention in the book to the mercurial freedom fighter, Aruna Asaf Ali, and how her transformation from a Gandhian to a militant revolutionary occurred in the 1940s.
Any book dealing with the 1940s in India has to contend with the horrendous Bengal famine of 1943. It is a bone of contention between Indian and British historians. Scholars like Mukherjee have laid the blame at the door of Churchill and the British administration in India. English historians have disputed the charge of wilful neglect of starving Indians in favor of British troops in SE Asia and elsewhere. Author Yasmin Khan says that this debate may never be resolved but points out certain incontrovertible facts for us to mull over. In the 1940s, there was the fear that Japan would invade India on the eastern sea side and so the colonial administration destroyed as many as 20000 boats that Bengali fishermen used normally to catch fish and move essential commodities to all those villages which are reachable only through water. As a result, the rural agrarian economy in Bengal was destroyed completely thereby laying the possible roots of the famine. Khan says that the British administration took the approach that some peoples' lives were not worth preserving and that the state should be geared to prioritizing the war at all costs above human lives. Two singularly hostile and unsympathetic leaders in Churchill and Linlithgow didn't help matters either. There is much evidence to corroborate such discrimination by what happened earlier in Burma. As many as 600000 Indians fled Burma for India on foot when the Japanese onslaught started. But 80000 of them never made it home. At crucial bottlenecks when leaving Burma, Europeans were prioritized, accessing safe passage away from the Japanese, leaving Indians stranded. The author cites the Tamu-Palel Road in Burma being closed to Indians but open for escape for the British.
Such British conduct in India during the war completely removed whatever little legitimacy the colonial regime had in the eyes of Indians. The return of hundreds of thousands of sepoys from Europe, the middle-east and Africa and the inspirational courage and struggle of Subhas Bose's Indian National Army (INA) made the younger generation impatient for freedom and less inclined towards the epic non-violent struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Congress Party was forced to capitalize on the mass groundswell of support for the INA. In this context, Churchill's victory speech of 'Long live freedom, Advance Britannia' sounded incongruous to Indian ears. How could the cause of freedom live alongside the advance of 'Rule Brittania'? With all the major Congress leaders in prison and those of the Muslim League outside, Gandhi and Nehru in 1944 found that Jinnah had consolidated his support for the partition of India among the Muslims of Bengal and Punjab. Author Khan says that the War simply unleashed forces in India and Britain uncontrollably to rapidly accelerate the exit of the British from India.
India saw massive refugee and other influxes into the country - Jews and Poles from Europe, Indians and Brits from Burma and large internal migration from rural to urban India. There were many British and American troops coming to India as well, to train for the fight in Asia. Out of the 150000 American troops, some 22000 were black GIs. In addition, over 100000 African troops also disembarked in India along with another 100000 Chinese troops belonging to Chiang-Kai-Shek's Kuomintang.
Race discrimination was a fact of life under Colonialism and war time was no different. In India, the British Military decided on training Indians in Hindustani rather than in English because 'it would be easier for ten thousand comparatively intelligent Englishmen to reach a high standard in Hindustani than to instruct a million far less intelligent Indians in English. In actuality however, many Indian sepoys ended up communicating effectively in English within a short time!
Even sex was affected by race. In the Eritrean city of Asmara, soon after the fall of Keren, two sets of racially segregated brothels were established, one for Indians and one for the British.
Apparently, the British administration in India was wary of so many black American GIs in India, feeling that Indians are a hierarchical and color conscious people and hence, the black soldiers may experience discrimination during their stay. The book notes that, in the end, the black GIs got on quite well with Indians but were discriminated against by their own senior officers in the US army! After all, it was still the 1940s!
I think this book is a seminal contribution to modern India's history. Textbooks in India must be updated using this book to include the core details of India's participation in the War and its impact on the independence movement and how it hastened the exit of Britain. The book shows vividly how the massive scale of India's participation in the war by way of soldiers and resources had the simultaneous effect of bringing home to Indians the proof (if it was needed) that the British were there primarily to advance only their own interests at all costs, thereby making it extremely difficult for them to continue their occupation of India. It is extremely difficult to document such history, ground-up from the viewpoint of the foot soldiers, especially in a country like India in the mid-20th century, because most of them were illiterate and they do not put down any of their experiences or thoughts in writing. This has always been the problem with other Indian expatriate experiences as indentured labor in Africa, West Indies and Fiji too. But Yasmin Khan has been able to accomplish such a difficult task and craft a book that is an absorbing read.
August 5, 2015
For most of us, World War II is mostly about Hitler, Churchill, the Munich Pact, Pearl Harbour, D Day, the Battle of Midway, Stalingard, the Holocaust and of course Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A few years back, a poll conducted by the National Army Museum in Britain to pick the greatest battle which Britain ever fought and won, turned up a surprising winner to many – the Battle of Kohima fought in India’s North East during the Second World War.
Yasmin Khan’s ‘The Raj at War’ is a great book which brings together different aspects and characters (both the known and the unsung millions) of the period. The economic impact of the war was experienced through inflation, rise of a nascent manufacturing base, the emergence of hospitality as a business (think Oberoi), the horrors of the Bengal famine etc. Her analysis of the changes in the social sphere marked by the influx of Americans and other foreign soldiers, the letters about loneliness and homesickness, absence of grooms in many villages, rise of prostitution and to a certain extent women emancipation thanks to the Quit India movement made for some fascinating reading.
Politically, the period was also unique. With the leaders of the Congress in prison for the major part of the war (Gandhi in Pune and Nehru who wrote his Discovery of India while interned in Ahmednagar fort), Khan argues that the War also marked the beginning of the end of the Age of Gandhi. With Bose on the ascent, the exploits of the INA and the real specter of aerial bombing becoming a reality, patience with Satyagraha was slowly running out.
For me, the book will linger for a while mainly for its introduction to the life and times of a little known ‘Bharat Ratna’ of India – Aruna Asaf Ali. With her husband (who later went on to become India’s first Ambassador to the US) jailed along with Nehru, Aruna spent the period from 42 to 46 ‘underground’ and led the national movement against the British. In spite of all its might, the British empire struggled to locate and detain this woman from Daryaganj. She died in 1996 and was honoured a year later – not while she alive!
Yasmin Khan’s ‘The Raj at War’ is a great book which brings together different aspects and characters (both the known and the unsung millions) of the period. The economic impact of the war was experienced through inflation, rise of a nascent manufacturing base, the emergence of hospitality as a business (think Oberoi), the horrors of the Bengal famine etc. Her analysis of the changes in the social sphere marked by the influx of Americans and other foreign soldiers, the letters about loneliness and homesickness, absence of grooms in many villages, rise of prostitution and to a certain extent women emancipation thanks to the Quit India movement made for some fascinating reading.
Politically, the period was also unique. With the leaders of the Congress in prison for the major part of the war (Gandhi in Pune and Nehru who wrote his Discovery of India while interned in Ahmednagar fort), Khan argues that the War also marked the beginning of the end of the Age of Gandhi. With Bose on the ascent, the exploits of the INA and the real specter of aerial bombing becoming a reality, patience with Satyagraha was slowly running out.
For me, the book will linger for a while mainly for its introduction to the life and times of a little known ‘Bharat Ratna’ of India – Aruna Asaf Ali. With her husband (who later went on to become India’s first Ambassador to the US) jailed along with Nehru, Aruna spent the period from 42 to 46 ‘underground’ and led the national movement against the British. In spite of all its might, the British empire struggled to locate and detain this woman from Daryaganj. She died in 1996 and was honoured a year later – not while she alive!
December 21, 2016
The Raj at War
WW2 is probably the most thoroughly documented event in human history. There are hundreds and thousands of book on almost every aspect of the war that shook the entire world. Most of the the history, however, concerns itself with European theater of the war with little sprinklings of coverage in Japan and Americas. How about the various colonies of European powers? How much did they partake in the most deadliest war in human history? A lot, it seems.
The contribution, whether forced or voluntary, of the colonies of European power is mentioned just as a side note in most history books. I remember reading "Second World War" by Martin Gilbert last year. I came a single sentence which mentioned about Rajputana Rifles (an Indian Armed Forces Regiment) showing great bravery in the battle of Monte Castello. It surprised me to know that Indians were so directly part of conflict in European Theater of war. What that sentence didn't mention was that five Victoria Cross were awarded to Indian Soldiers fighting in Italy! The number may not sound much. But if this is taken in the context of how India simmered with wave of nationalism to free itself from British Rule, it is surprising that people laid down their life for the same empire that people back home were trying to overthrow.
This and many such passing references to contribution of Indians in the war made me pick up this book. I wasn't disappointed. This is a very well researched book that paints a very balanced and scholarly look at the World War from India's point of view.
By 1939, The Raj had already lost the sheen of its Imperialistic pride in India due to massive nationalistic movements of previous two decades. It was already struggling to contain the bubbling spirit of nationlism that was trying to remove the shackles of colonialism. The Raj, till 1939, had been pretty much in control of the situation by playing two strategies in equal measure. Delaying tactics in implementation of Legislative Reforms and brutal, if occasional, suppression of people's voice. Also, Gandhi was gaining sympathy throughout the world with his non-violent movement. There were voices coming from many quarters (including the US) for Britain to free India.
It was at that time that the war started and things changed quite drastically in India. The Raj, adamant on keeping its Colonial prestige, cracked down heavily on any anti-Raj activity. This was a departure from its policy of selective appeasement of last decade by which Congress at least had started getting some measure of legislative bargaining (e.g establishment of state legislative councils in 1937). Economy in certain sectors related to military manufacturing boomed which provided hitherto unacceptable employment opportunities to Indians - both in Civilian and Military roles. A massive recruitment drive and donations to War Chest made Indians part of Government Machinery like never before.
India also became an oasis of sort in the Empire besieged by battles. Europe and Asia-Pacific/China were directly involved in fighting. There were battles in Middle and Africa as well. India, even though lied at the geographical center of the two warring theaters, was peaceful and not directly involved in any combat. As such, it became it became a manufacturing sweet spot for the Allied War Machinery.
India provided 2 million soldiers, millions of tonnes of grain, clothes and other supplies necessary for the war. But in keeping with the trend that the Raj started as soon as they captured territories in India almost two centuries earlier, most of the benefits of War Machinery were not for the local populace to enjoy. Rate of Inflation increased, even grain became out of reach for the vast majority of Indians. The worst affected was Bengal province. Natural factors alleviated by lack of empathy from Raj led to the most deadliest Indian famine in 20th century killing 3 million people.
The book also covers Japanese attack on Indian soil - in Imphal and Kohima. The brutality that soldiers and civilians alike witnessed at the hands of Japanese made them question the rosy image produced by nationalist. The Japanese were supposed to be India's liberators from the Raj. Yet, when Japanese attacked, they killed Indians as easily as Allied soldiers. This was a shock to many people who never realized how brutal Japanese WW2 campaign had been.
The book gives a lot of coverage to the struggles of Indians and Allied forces in Burma (now Myanmar). The struggles of thousands of people to bring a little bit of defensive against the Japanese onslaught is captured well. Also, the book focuses on a lot of issues like STD epidemic while the war raged. The rise of Indian industry is given its share as well along with the life of common soldiers whose lives were transformed in both negative and positive ways by the War.
The book is very good reference for anyone looking for Indian contribution and perspective of the Second World War.
WW2 is probably the most thoroughly documented event in human history. There are hundreds and thousands of book on almost every aspect of the war that shook the entire world. Most of the the history, however, concerns itself with European theater of the war with little sprinklings of coverage in Japan and Americas. How about the various colonies of European powers? How much did they partake in the most deadliest war in human history? A lot, it seems.
The contribution, whether forced or voluntary, of the colonies of European power is mentioned just as a side note in most history books. I remember reading "Second World War" by Martin Gilbert last year. I came a single sentence which mentioned about Rajputana Rifles (an Indian Armed Forces Regiment) showing great bravery in the battle of Monte Castello. It surprised me to know that Indians were so directly part of conflict in European Theater of war. What that sentence didn't mention was that five Victoria Cross were awarded to Indian Soldiers fighting in Italy! The number may not sound much. But if this is taken in the context of how India simmered with wave of nationalism to free itself from British Rule, it is surprising that people laid down their life for the same empire that people back home were trying to overthrow.
This and many such passing references to contribution of Indians in the war made me pick up this book. I wasn't disappointed. This is a very well researched book that paints a very balanced and scholarly look at the World War from India's point of view.
By 1939, The Raj had already lost the sheen of its Imperialistic pride in India due to massive nationalistic movements of previous two decades. It was already struggling to contain the bubbling spirit of nationlism that was trying to remove the shackles of colonialism. The Raj, till 1939, had been pretty much in control of the situation by playing two strategies in equal measure. Delaying tactics in implementation of Legislative Reforms and brutal, if occasional, suppression of people's voice. Also, Gandhi was gaining sympathy throughout the world with his non-violent movement. There were voices coming from many quarters (including the US) for Britain to free India.
It was at that time that the war started and things changed quite drastically in India. The Raj, adamant on keeping its Colonial prestige, cracked down heavily on any anti-Raj activity. This was a departure from its policy of selective appeasement of last decade by which Congress at least had started getting some measure of legislative bargaining (e.g establishment of state legislative councils in 1937). Economy in certain sectors related to military manufacturing boomed which provided hitherto unacceptable employment opportunities to Indians - both in Civilian and Military roles. A massive recruitment drive and donations to War Chest made Indians part of Government Machinery like never before.
India also became an oasis of sort in the Empire besieged by battles. Europe and Asia-Pacific/China were directly involved in fighting. There were battles in Middle and Africa as well. India, even though lied at the geographical center of the two warring theaters, was peaceful and not directly involved in any combat. As such, it became it became a manufacturing sweet spot for the Allied War Machinery.
India provided 2 million soldiers, millions of tonnes of grain, clothes and other supplies necessary for the war. But in keeping with the trend that the Raj started as soon as they captured territories in India almost two centuries earlier, most of the benefits of War Machinery were not for the local populace to enjoy. Rate of Inflation increased, even grain became out of reach for the vast majority of Indians. The worst affected was Bengal province. Natural factors alleviated by lack of empathy from Raj led to the most deadliest Indian famine in 20th century killing 3 million people.
The book also covers Japanese attack on Indian soil - in Imphal and Kohima. The brutality that soldiers and civilians alike witnessed at the hands of Japanese made them question the rosy image produced by nationalist. The Japanese were supposed to be India's liberators from the Raj. Yet, when Japanese attacked, they killed Indians as easily as Allied soldiers. This was a shock to many people who never realized how brutal Japanese WW2 campaign had been.
The book gives a lot of coverage to the struggles of Indians and Allied forces in Burma (now Myanmar). The struggles of thousands of people to bring a little bit of defensive against the Japanese onslaught is captured well. Also, the book focuses on a lot of issues like STD epidemic while the war raged. The rise of Indian industry is given its share as well along with the life of common soldiers whose lives were transformed in both negative and positive ways by the War.
The book is very good reference for anyone looking for Indian contribution and perspective of the Second World War.
May 31, 2016
This is history from below and Yasmin Khan shows how the war affected and was affected by soldiers and their families, civilians forced/encouraged to produce more food and steel, even the bureaucrats of the vast Indian Civil Service many of whom worked for five or six years without a home leave back to England. The social effects of the war exacerbated the differences of class, caste and religion and made the gulf between the wealthy elites and the very poor (most of the population) even more obvious. Donald Horowitz did most of his research for his magisterial “The Deadly Ethnic Riot” in India and for good reason; communal violence there has been as common but much more murderous as football riots in England.
Women, industrial workers and the urban middle class were mobilized and activated in new ways. Nationalism in both India and Britain was heightened with one side effect being that loyalty to the British king both real and symbolic was weakened in the subcontinent. Even so, Indian lower classes gave themselves wholeheartedly to the war at first—by the end of the war India had the largest volunteer army in world. They never had to resort to conscription although the pressure to fill recruitment quotas on civil servants, rulers of princely states and local governors occasionally led to the equivalent of press gang methods.
In many cases the lure of enlistment was a steady paycheck and three meals a day. As much as possible of the soldiers’ pay was sent back as remittances to their families which allowed them to escape or at least ameliorate the constant presence of malnourishment and their shamefully low standard of living—for example life expectancy in India at the start of the war was 26 years. Others joined because they came from a martial caste or a province with a history of service. In Punjab elderly veterans of World War I helped round up recruits with their stories of heroism, adventure, travel and exotic women.
Whatever the method of recruitment, the result were everything that could be dreamed of by the leaders of the war including Churchill who seemed not to miss any chance to (privately) declare how he detested India and Indians, for example: "I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.” The Indian Army set an example of valor, discipline under fire and willingness to gain an objective even when the British generals sent them into a meat grinder due to poor knowledge of the battlefield and simple stupidity. The actual history of the Indian Army in North Africa, Italy and Burma is a stirring one.
Yasmin Khan is one of several historians looking at the role of India during the war. Despite the toll the Indian forces suffered—90,000 killed or wounded—it has been overlooked. The main reason, of course, is that the end of the war preceded the independence of the subcontinent and formation of India and Pakistan along with the horrors of millions of people moving from their homes because they were either Muslim or Hindu. “India at War” is as close to “people’s history” as one will find and is well worth reading by anyone interested in the subject.
Women, industrial workers and the urban middle class were mobilized and activated in new ways. Nationalism in both India and Britain was heightened with one side effect being that loyalty to the British king both real and symbolic was weakened in the subcontinent. Even so, Indian lower classes gave themselves wholeheartedly to the war at first—by the end of the war India had the largest volunteer army in world. They never had to resort to conscription although the pressure to fill recruitment quotas on civil servants, rulers of princely states and local governors occasionally led to the equivalent of press gang methods.
In many cases the lure of enlistment was a steady paycheck and three meals a day. As much as possible of the soldiers’ pay was sent back as remittances to their families which allowed them to escape or at least ameliorate the constant presence of malnourishment and their shamefully low standard of living—for example life expectancy in India at the start of the war was 26 years. Others joined because they came from a martial caste or a province with a history of service. In Punjab elderly veterans of World War I helped round up recruits with their stories of heroism, adventure, travel and exotic women.
Whatever the method of recruitment, the result were everything that could be dreamed of by the leaders of the war including Churchill who seemed not to miss any chance to (privately) declare how he detested India and Indians, for example: "I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.” The Indian Army set an example of valor, discipline under fire and willingness to gain an objective even when the British generals sent them into a meat grinder due to poor knowledge of the battlefield and simple stupidity. The actual history of the Indian Army in North Africa, Italy and Burma is a stirring one.
Yasmin Khan is one of several historians looking at the role of India during the war. Despite the toll the Indian forces suffered—90,000 killed or wounded—it has been overlooked. The main reason, of course, is that the end of the war preceded the independence of the subcontinent and formation of India and Pakistan along with the horrors of millions of people moving from their homes because they were either Muslim or Hindu. “India at War” is as close to “people’s history” as one will find and is well worth reading by anyone interested in the subject.
December 13, 2016
My rating reflects a lower opinion than what a book like this objectively deserves. But, I found it an extremely frustrating work, and so have deliberately given a 2 to what could have been a 3 for a less important subject. For any Indian remotely interested in History, India's role in World War II would be a welcome read. But, buckets of water were poured over my enthusiasm by the uninteresting manner in which this book is written. Elements within the same chapter seem to have no connection and just end and begin randomly. The narrative across chapters has very little semblance of a chain or a story. It's great to have quotes from people who were present when these events took place, but very often there is no background given on who these people were, making those quotes lose any emotional investment.
I had to keep pushing myself, and the trip through this book seemed almost as painful as the one taken by all those people who fled Burma to reach eastern and southern India in 1942.
Added 5 minutes later: I just saw the high ratings and glowing reviews by other, mostly non-Indian, readers. I suppose this would be more interesting to those for whom the very presence of India in the World War II theater might come as a surprise. Or, I am missing something.
I had to keep pushing myself, and the trip through this book seemed almost as painful as the one taken by all those people who fled Burma to reach eastern and southern India in 1942.
Added 5 minutes later: I just saw the high ratings and glowing reviews by other, mostly non-Indian, readers. I suppose this would be more interesting to those for whom the very presence of India in the World War II theater might come as a surprise. Or, I am missing something.
November 8, 2015
This book was a disappointment for me. It never quite came together. It’s like the old line about four blindfolded people holding parts of an elephant. They describe what they feel, but they don’t have any sense of the whole. Here, I got a collection of elephant parts, but I never felt like I had the elephant.
Over 2 million Indians served in the armed forces in the war. Mind you, 73,000 had died in the First World War. Many others served in the merchant marine. Many were pressured into donating to “voluntary” war funds early in the war. In January 1941, Gandhi launched a satyagraha against India’s poverty. Many fought in North Africa, where there wasn’t much racism. The economy went up early in the war, as did inflation and urbanization.
Things changed after Pearl Harbor and the losses after it. There was a decision to destroy all of Bengal’s boats so they couldn’t be used to aid the Japanese, but this helped cause the 1943 famine the killed 3 million. There were Indians in southeast Asia and they (especially those in Singapore) formed the basis of the Indian National Army working with Japan. There was anger at the British for security their own safety during the retreat over that of any other. The credibility of the state may have been lost in 1942. Islands in the east of the Indian Ocean were lost. There was a feeling of despair, disenfranchisement, and stagnation.
The Cripps Mission to India calling for reform came 30 months too late. After it, England could easily sanction coercive measures. The war was a blessing for Jinnah. The communists and INA also gained ground. US/UK soldiers began arriving in 1942. There was a backlash against them. There was also more prostitution and rape. US anti-colonial rhetoric angered the British. Land/property was requisitioned for a series of air fields. There was no more rice from Burma or Indonesia, which also helped cause the famine.
As the threat declined, troops were taken out. The communists were legalized as a government tally. On Aug. 9, 1942, a wave of arrests were taken out. But there was an anti-state groundswell beyond Gandhi’s control. Peasants and workers were the real leaders now. Over 1,000 protesters were killed. Bose was in Japan by April 1943. His radio broadcasts were increasingly popular. Allies were ready for the 1944 offensive by Japan. The Burma Road (Ledo Road) was built, nicknamed the Man-a-Mile Road. The overall death toll in building it is unknown.
The government’s size/scope increased during the war. The state could repress, but it had very limited ability to monitor.
Over 2 million Indians served in the armed forces in the war. Mind you, 73,000 had died in the First World War. Many others served in the merchant marine. Many were pressured into donating to “voluntary” war funds early in the war. In January 1941, Gandhi launched a satyagraha against India’s poverty. Many fought in North Africa, where there wasn’t much racism. The economy went up early in the war, as did inflation and urbanization.
Things changed after Pearl Harbor and the losses after it. There was a decision to destroy all of Bengal’s boats so they couldn’t be used to aid the Japanese, but this helped cause the 1943 famine the killed 3 million. There were Indians in southeast Asia and they (especially those in Singapore) formed the basis of the Indian National Army working with Japan. There was anger at the British for security their own safety during the retreat over that of any other. The credibility of the state may have been lost in 1942. Islands in the east of the Indian Ocean were lost. There was a feeling of despair, disenfranchisement, and stagnation.
The Cripps Mission to India calling for reform came 30 months too late. After it, England could easily sanction coercive measures. The war was a blessing for Jinnah. The communists and INA also gained ground. US/UK soldiers began arriving in 1942. There was a backlash against them. There was also more prostitution and rape. US anti-colonial rhetoric angered the British. Land/property was requisitioned for a series of air fields. There was no more rice from Burma or Indonesia, which also helped cause the famine.
As the threat declined, troops were taken out. The communists were legalized as a government tally. On Aug. 9, 1942, a wave of arrests were taken out. But there was an anti-state groundswell beyond Gandhi’s control. Peasants and workers were the real leaders now. Over 1,000 protesters were killed. Bose was in Japan by April 1943. His radio broadcasts were increasingly popular. Allies were ready for the 1944 offensive by Japan. The Burma Road (Ledo Road) was built, nicknamed the Man-a-Mile Road. The overall death toll in building it is unknown.
The government’s size/scope increased during the war. The state could repress, but it had very limited ability to monitor.
February 27, 2018
A great topic, I learnt many new things and each sentence/ paragraph was well written. Such topics are difficult to write about as one has to cover a chronology as well as themes, without mixing them up too much. This is where the book is lacking, as it does. What happens in Indian politics during th war is also not covered. However, as a one stop shop on the incidents, its a good read.
November 2, 2015
This book managed to shame this reviewer; you might reasonably expect a Briton to know something about one of the largest wars that Great Britain has been involved in and understand how members of its then-Empire contributed. No excuses can be given and whilst one was aware that British forces were active in India and other Empire countries, the scope of their contribution and involvement to the war effort was not so known. This book changed that.
So much changed because of the war. Maybe change was inevitable in any case, at least as far as India’s relationship to the Empire was concerned, yet when the call came it was prepared to help and sought to do its bit for the war effort. It did a lot more than “a bit” too: viewed in isolation it produced the world’s largest volunteer army in world history with over 2.5 million men. The country also contributed heavily to the war’s logistics chain. India wasn’t unscathed; it had to change a lot to provide the help and by the end of the war quite a lot of lives had been lost both in battle and because of it.
The author packs a lot of powerful history into this sensitive, authoritative work. An admirable level of academic neutrality is deployed to let the story tell itself. This is more than just a war history; the author seeks to consider how the Indian subcontinent itself was reshaped by the war as its impact shuddered throughout the country. Was all change good and for whom? What about those who didn’t jump on-board and wholeheartedly want to support someone else’s war?
Some of the claims made are shocking to this reader (even if more informed people were aware of it): racial division and segregation was actively practiced in some areas to protect the prestige of the European community. This massive book features an extensive bibliography and index so the reader can dig in as deep as they want, even following the sources if they so require.
This book is positively overwhelming. A pleasurable immersion into a subject that is hardly pleasant at its core, yet the underlying stories and actions that came about due to it makes for a fascinating read. A highly recommended book, even if you tend to shy away from war and history titles.
India At War, written by Yasmin Khan and published by Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199753499. YYYYY
Autamme.com
So much changed because of the war. Maybe change was inevitable in any case, at least as far as India’s relationship to the Empire was concerned, yet when the call came it was prepared to help and sought to do its bit for the war effort. It did a lot more than “a bit” too: viewed in isolation it produced the world’s largest volunteer army in world history with over 2.5 million men. The country also contributed heavily to the war’s logistics chain. India wasn’t unscathed; it had to change a lot to provide the help and by the end of the war quite a lot of lives had been lost both in battle and because of it.
The author packs a lot of powerful history into this sensitive, authoritative work. An admirable level of academic neutrality is deployed to let the story tell itself. This is more than just a war history; the author seeks to consider how the Indian subcontinent itself was reshaped by the war as its impact shuddered throughout the country. Was all change good and for whom? What about those who didn’t jump on-board and wholeheartedly want to support someone else’s war?
Some of the claims made are shocking to this reader (even if more informed people were aware of it): racial division and segregation was actively practiced in some areas to protect the prestige of the European community. This massive book features an extensive bibliography and index so the reader can dig in as deep as they want, even following the sources if they so require.
This book is positively overwhelming. A pleasurable immersion into a subject that is hardly pleasant at its core, yet the underlying stories and actions that came about due to it makes for a fascinating read. A highly recommended book, even if you tend to shy away from war and history titles.
India At War, written by Yasmin Khan and published by Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199753499. YYYYY
Autamme.com
June 6, 2017
There are books on WWII and there are books on India's freedom struggle, but not enough has been written about how the two are so intricately linked from the Indian subcontinent's perspective. To me this book was a revelation, introducing me to information from the period that I had no clue about, courtesy the limited scope of school textbooks. It starts in 1939 and goes on till 1947 in a systematic fashion, with anecdotes, facts and stories of a number of soldiers, civilians and political leaders. Of course, that means it throw a LOT of info at the reader, so it can get slow at times, but it is well worth the time spent.
March 7, 2016
This book provides a very interesting perspective on a side of World War II that is not often written about. The author addressed a variety of different topics from this war and looks at them from the several different points of view. The variety and different perspectives are good but also make it a little bit tough to become fully engaged because the book seems to change directions so many times. It might be better served as a reference book than something to read from beginning to end for enjoyment, but it was still very enjoyable, educational, and worthwhile to read.
June 6, 2025
It is rather scary how much we don't know about important periods and issues in our history, even after enjoying a "good education". This book sets (some of) the record straight: an honest, but not brutal, account of WW2 from the perspective of the colonised. an enjoyable and informative read that you can devour in one or two sittings, or take in bite sized chunks because the canvas is so broad.
June 14, 2019
There has always been a plethora of historical books available – more so now, on the Indian Nationalist Movement; but somehow, in all these volumes the voices of Indians who fought in the Second World War against fascist forces have been drowned. In the euphoria of nation building post-partition, the ruling dispensation and the common people refused to acknowledge it as their war: it belonged to the British Empire and hence, lacked legitimacy. Even in Britain, post-war reconstruction quietly erased the Indian contribution and instances of individual British heroism were mythologised in school curriculums and films.
But the fact remains that two and a half million Indians were recruited to fight the Raj’s war, along with non-combatants like peasants, labourers, cooks, sailors, nurses and prostitutes. Compared to their British counterparts, Indian soldiers got an extremely raw deal when it came to salaries and healthcare despite fighting gallantly in significant battles in places as far as North Africa and Europe, bringing glory to the Raj. By the end of the war in 1945, nearly 90,000 Indian soldiers had lost their lives fighting for a cause which did not belong to them.
Award winning British historian Yasmin Khan digs up these forgotten stories through meticulous research in her magnum opus and examines them against the grand sweep of colonial history that covers the Great Bengal Famine of 1943-44; the battles in Kohima and Imphal against Japanese invaders; the construction of the notorious Ledo Road across inhospitable terrains that connected Burma to China through India; mass migration of Burmese-Indians to India to escape the threat of Japanese invasion; the occupation of Andaman Islands by Japanese forces; the role of INA and Subhash Chandra Bose; the presence of American GIs and their impact on metropolitan cultures and law and order; the naval mutiny; post-war profiteering from black markets – and the helplessness of the Congress leaders who were incarcerated since 1942 and found their grip on the anti-colonial movement slipping away in the tumult of nation-wide agitations that often took violent turns and spawned firebrand leaders like Aruna Asaf Ali – who also became a pin-up icon amongst the rebellious youth in her crispy, cotton sarees.
An immensely engrossing read. Go for it.
But the fact remains that two and a half million Indians were recruited to fight the Raj’s war, along with non-combatants like peasants, labourers, cooks, sailors, nurses and prostitutes. Compared to their British counterparts, Indian soldiers got an extremely raw deal when it came to salaries and healthcare despite fighting gallantly in significant battles in places as far as North Africa and Europe, bringing glory to the Raj. By the end of the war in 1945, nearly 90,000 Indian soldiers had lost their lives fighting for a cause which did not belong to them.
Award winning British historian Yasmin Khan digs up these forgotten stories through meticulous research in her magnum opus and examines them against the grand sweep of colonial history that covers the Great Bengal Famine of 1943-44; the battles in Kohima and Imphal against Japanese invaders; the construction of the notorious Ledo Road across inhospitable terrains that connected Burma to China through India; mass migration of Burmese-Indians to India to escape the threat of Japanese invasion; the occupation of Andaman Islands by Japanese forces; the role of INA and Subhash Chandra Bose; the presence of American GIs and their impact on metropolitan cultures and law and order; the naval mutiny; post-war profiteering from black markets – and the helplessness of the Congress leaders who were incarcerated since 1942 and found their grip on the anti-colonial movement slipping away in the tumult of nation-wide agitations that often took violent turns and spawned firebrand leaders like Aruna Asaf Ali – who also became a pin-up icon amongst the rebellious youth in her crispy, cotton sarees.
An immensely engrossing read. Go for it.
August 17, 2016
Yasmin Khan, a historian at Oxford, has written a richly researched social history of war time India during the Second World War. Her sources range from official accounts, court records, and diaries and letters of Indian and British soldiers and officers, upper class colonial women, and rebellious Indian housewives.
She has written a fascinating narrative, touching on many forgotten aspects of India’s experience as a country during the Second World War. She describes the impact of European refugees, as well as others, fleeing from the advance of Japanese armies in Burma and Indochina, as well as Singapore. There are many ironies in her story, which place in a stark light the turmoil and conflicts that were driving an increasingly rapid disintegration of Britain’s divide and rule manipulation of India’s sectarian rifts. She brings to dramatic attention the crushing famine that swept India during 1943 and examines a series of potential causes, many of which may have been the result of hording of food by wealthy Indian merchants and other distributors whose responsibility should have been to be sure the population was being fed.
In 1947, two years after the end of World War II, the boiling pot that had been heating up in India during the war, finally exploded in the bloodletting that led to the partition of the country between Hindus and Muslims. Few had foreseen or wanted this outcome that was the result of the war’s impact upon this British colonial empire. British officials desperately tried to keep a lid on India, a secular Congress movement wavered between Pacifism and support for the Allies, and collaboration with the Axis. The Muslim league, essentially an unpopular option, exploited the turmoil of the Second World War to successfully push for the diving of the subcontinent along religious lines. Muhammad Ali Jinnah admitted that this “war,” which nobody welcomed as the Japanese drove through Asia, proved to be a blessing in disguise to him and his Muslim League.
For those interested in the power and impact of the Second World War, halfway around the globe from the United States, this book by Yasmin Khan is a fascinating examination and a study in leadership and power of unintended consequences.
She has written a fascinating narrative, touching on many forgotten aspects of India’s experience as a country during the Second World War. She describes the impact of European refugees, as well as others, fleeing from the advance of Japanese armies in Burma and Indochina, as well as Singapore. There are many ironies in her story, which place in a stark light the turmoil and conflicts that were driving an increasingly rapid disintegration of Britain’s divide and rule manipulation of India’s sectarian rifts. She brings to dramatic attention the crushing famine that swept India during 1943 and examines a series of potential causes, many of which may have been the result of hording of food by wealthy Indian merchants and other distributors whose responsibility should have been to be sure the population was being fed.
In 1947, two years after the end of World War II, the boiling pot that had been heating up in India during the war, finally exploded in the bloodletting that led to the partition of the country between Hindus and Muslims. Few had foreseen or wanted this outcome that was the result of the war’s impact upon this British colonial empire. British officials desperately tried to keep a lid on India, a secular Congress movement wavered between Pacifism and support for the Allies, and collaboration with the Axis. The Muslim league, essentially an unpopular option, exploited the turmoil of the Second World War to successfully push for the diving of the subcontinent along religious lines. Muhammad Ali Jinnah admitted that this “war,” which nobody welcomed as the Japanese drove through Asia, proved to be a blessing in disguise to him and his Muslim League.
For those interested in the power and impact of the Second World War, halfway around the globe from the United States, this book by Yasmin Khan is a fascinating examination and a study in leadership and power of unintended consequences.
July 7, 2016
The Raj at War :The People history of Second World War.
This was the story of 2 million men and women of Indian Army who fought for the Raj against the axis power and millions of Indian people (Which includes Present day India Pakistan and Bangladesh).
The Book talks extensively about the Contribution of armed forces, The peasants, the dock workers, cooks, taxi drivers, etc (I could not list) literally everyone life impacted by the War. There are more than 82,000 of Indian Army men lost their life for the Raj.
The war showed the real face of British from partly man made famine in Bengal, the second class treatment of refugees from Burma, Price raise, Inflation, At end of war there are some positive things happened from little improved health care. New Infrastructures projects like ports aerodrome created for the war now used for common people.
It has been revelation for me, How the War made impact on the Indian independence movement,. The Valor and Sacrifices of the Indian men fought in the Africa Europe front were forgotten or intentionally hidden by the Raj and the country where they belong to. Their stories obviously overshadowed by the partition and subsequent war with our neighbors. The freedom struggle of India which we studied in the school syllabus does not talked about the impact of the War.
The author researched extensively and written the history by the people themselves from personal memoirs, letters written to the families by the troops.
I recommend this book to read you, which will took back to the British Raj which we didn't experienced.
This was the story of 2 million men and women of Indian Army who fought for the Raj against the axis power and millions of Indian people (Which includes Present day India Pakistan and Bangladesh).
The Book talks extensively about the Contribution of armed forces, The peasants, the dock workers, cooks, taxi drivers, etc (I could not list) literally everyone life impacted by the War. There are more than 82,000 of Indian Army men lost their life for the Raj.
The war showed the real face of British from partly man made famine in Bengal, the second class treatment of refugees from Burma, Price raise, Inflation, At end of war there are some positive things happened from little improved health care. New Infrastructures projects like ports aerodrome created for the war now used for common people.
It has been revelation for me, How the War made impact on the Indian independence movement,. The Valor and Sacrifices of the Indian men fought in the Africa Europe front were forgotten or intentionally hidden by the Raj and the country where they belong to. Their stories obviously overshadowed by the partition and subsequent war with our neighbors. The freedom struggle of India which we studied in the school syllabus does not talked about the impact of the War.
The author researched extensively and written the history by the people themselves from personal memoirs, letters written to the families by the troops.
I recommend this book to read you, which will took back to the British Raj which we didn't experienced.
August 14, 2016
This is an ambitious book; an attempt to tell the story of how the Second World War impacted the people of India. It is a fascinating read; masses of information, masses of personal accounts and testimonies, much of which will be new to the general reader, all written in a very logical, readable way.
It comes across very clearly that the British state in India was on its last legs before 1939, and that the war made independence inevitable; the final vestiges of British authority and superiority were shattered.
Why then, only three stars? Because, for me, the book doesn't quite work as a whole. There are bits about pre-war India, much more about the conflict period itself, and a very small amount about the post-war era. Individually, these would be huge subjects; put together, I felt a little short-changed. I also would have liked a few more pictures, and one or two maps would have been helpful. I note that the author has written a work on Partition, which I will almost certainly read, so can understand that she didn't want to overlap, but given that, perhaps this work could have been a little more focussed.
It comes across very clearly that the British state in India was on its last legs before 1939, and that the war made independence inevitable; the final vestiges of British authority and superiority were shattered.
Why then, only three stars? Because, for me, the book doesn't quite work as a whole. There are bits about pre-war India, much more about the conflict period itself, and a very small amount about the post-war era. Individually, these would be huge subjects; put together, I felt a little short-changed. I also would have liked a few more pictures, and one or two maps would have been helpful. I note that the author has written a work on Partition, which I will almost certainly read, so can understand that she didn't want to overlap, but given that, perhaps this work could have been a little more focussed.
December 28, 2015
This is an important work about an aspect of the Second World War rarely even mentioned in standard British histories of the period. The book is a comprehensive account of the experience of the war in India and the understandably Ambivalent attitude of many of its inhabitants. Dr Khan deals with the particularly under reported Bengal famine, the mistreatment of Indian women by western soldiers and the economic consequences of the war for ordinary Indians. In my view it is particularly strong on the war's impact in radicalising (if that is not now too loaded a word) the younger generation of Congress activists. I have often wondered how Indians (and their sundered kindred in Pakistan) really felt about fighting for the King-Emperor and a government fighting for freedom for westerners whilst still prevaricating even about limited Indian home rule, and this book shows the subtle and complex motivations that ordinary Indians had when committing to the war effort. Congratulations to Dr Khan for an interesting and highly readable account of an important subject.
September 13, 2017
An excellent read, pithy and yet comprehensive and evenhanded. Accessible for anyone new to this subject and yet full of new detail, observations and evidence, about WWII in India. Something which does rather get overlooked on these shores.
For me, a lot is not new here - as I specialised in British Decolonisation for my first degree, but this is a great refresher and after 25 years, a good expansion/update of my knowledge. This work covers how the war was organised in India; how it affected it; the Famine; the INA; Indian troops serving overseas; the Quit India campaign and much more. All told in a fair minded manner, which teases out the nuances. For instance the Faminine is presented in all its horror but blame is apportioned as deserved. You cannot ignore Britain's shame in this episode but you can see how partly it was caused by the pressures of war, incompetence and various other factors as well as neglect. The Raj is accurately portrayed as part capitalist exploitation, part well intentioned ideas and part comic opera.
For me, a lot is not new here - as I specialised in British Decolonisation for my first degree, but this is a great refresher and after 25 years, a good expansion/update of my knowledge. This work covers how the war was organised in India; how it affected it; the Famine; the INA; Indian troops serving overseas; the Quit India campaign and much more. All told in a fair minded manner, which teases out the nuances. For instance the Faminine is presented in all its horror but blame is apportioned as deserved. You cannot ignore Britain's shame in this episode but you can see how partly it was caused by the pressures of war, incompetence and various other factors as well as neglect. The Raj is accurately portrayed as part capitalist exploitation, part well intentioned ideas and part comic opera.
October 11, 2021
India's contribution to WW2 goes largely unnoticed amidst the flurry of American movies which show how they single handedly won the War. This book collects stories and narratives from Indians who fought the war for the British even amidst the famines, discrimination, enslavement of their country.
I feel India's role in WW2 is one of the most complicated situations in history where the people of India were both fighting for and against the British Empire. This strange turn of events is mostly captured well by the author as she walks us through the lives of Indians impacted by war.
The writing style however, was not particularly inspiring. Even for a non fiction, it felt like a news article which provides information rather than something that tells a tale. The book is still worth reading to get a glimpse of the men who history has conveniently forgotten.
I feel India's role in WW2 is one of the most complicated situations in history where the people of India were both fighting for and against the British Empire. This strange turn of events is mostly captured well by the author as she walks us through the lives of Indians impacted by war.
The writing style however, was not particularly inspiring. Even for a non fiction, it felt like a news article which provides information rather than something that tells a tale. The book is still worth reading to get a glimpse of the men who history has conveniently forgotten.
November 18, 2015
This is a sublime book that centres the focus of the conflict to battlefronts that have received little attention, notably that of India that contributed significant resources and men to the war effort. Khan follows an argument built on by historian Indivar Kamtekar of the importance of the Japanese invasion in de-legitimising the Raj as it struggled to hold back the onslaught in Burma. However, Khan also reveals the nuances and differences within Indian society itself, riven between the war profiteering industrialist to the starving man on the streets of Calcutta, victim to the war's inflation. The Raj thus re-centres the role of the conflict in India's independence, something that was not obviously attainable in 1939.
October 13, 2018
I picked this up after reading Persian Gulf Command by Ashley Jackson, which discussed the Second World War in Iraq and Iran. This similarly is a work of history aiming to more fully explore the role that India played in that conflict and it does a tremendous job of doing so. I had always been aware of the involvement of Indian Soldiers on the battlefields of Europe and North Africa but had never truly considered the impact such a gigantic mobilisation would have had on the country itself and the later independence struggles. Beautifully written throughout with many moving first-hand accounts highlighting the points the author drives home, definitely worthy of your time if you are at all interested in WW2 and Indian colonial history more generally.
October 25, 2018
Subtitled A People’s History of India’s Second World War, Yasmin Khan does an excellent job collating the experiences of ordinary Indians caught up in the war. There are accounts of not just soldiers but also lascars, nurses, labourers and peasants. The horrors of the Bengal famine are captured in all its gory detail. Also shown is the birth of India’s all-powerful and hopelessly apathetic babudom and the police state. Would recommend.
July 29, 2015
A stupendous feat of scholarship, filling up a huge gap in books about India's Second World War experience from the viewpoint of top industrialists, officials, nationalists, common people and soldiers and their families.... for more of my thoughts, read https://in.news.yahoo.com/war-wrought...
July 7, 2016
Excellent scholarly work on a little known and important aspect of World War II as it unfolded in India. Significant explanation of India's participation in Europe, Middle East and SE Asia. Well written.
Only criticism is that for a general reader, it is too chocked full of details, which could be omitted, without loss. However, for the scholar, they are very helpful
Only criticism is that for a general reader, it is too chocked full of details, which could be omitted, without loss. However, for the scholar, they are very helpful
September 22, 2015
India At War is a comprehensive volume on India's contribution to World War II in men, money, and material. A detailed account of how Indians experienced and lived through the war. ~ http://bookreviews.infoversant.com/in...
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October 22, 2015Filled with details and stories. Highlighted how this era was truly contradictory and confusing, with South Asia pulled at both sides--Independence through fighting for the INA and thus aligning with the Japanese? Loyalty to the Raj? Eventually most chose the latter.
June 16, 2016
Khan writes about the impact of the War on the whole of India. I had just known of the contribution of troops and a bit on the Benghal famine but understood little about the impact on the country overall. I want to follow up now with Khan's other books.
October 12, 2015
History can be dry but there is a poetry to Yasmin Khan's writing which is novelistic in its detail. Utterly readable and informative. Five stars from me.
September 29, 2015
Just wrote a review for the Daily Times. Check that if you want an opinion.
June 4, 2016
A good simple broad read on a very important but oft neglected country in WW2 history books. It really provideas an understanding of the British ICS, INA as well as the role of Congress.
March 23, 2018
A well-researched book about India's contribution and sufferings from the World War II. Must read - for knowing about a much-overlooked part of our history.
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