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New Songs of the Survivors: The Exodus of Indians from Burma
During the Second World War, many of the Indians settled in Burma were killed following the bombing of Rangoon by the Japanese Air Force. Thousands more were forced to give up everything-their homes, their businesses and shops, even their families-and flee to India to escape the invasion. The lucky ones flew home. Others followed by ship, crossing the Bay of Bengal under constant threat of aerial and submarine bombardment. But most walked all the way, to Manipur and then Assam, braving hunger, disease, wild animals and exhaustion. Some walked the more hazardous route further north, across the Hukaung Valley, which came to be called the Valley of Death. Drawing primarily on recollections from the survivors and descendants of Burma's once-thriving Goan community, this compelling book is the first attempt to write an oral history of the 'Forgotten Long March'- one of the biggest and most harrowing migrations in recent history.
- GenresIndia
264 pages, Paperback
Published December 3, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 14, 2017
A collection of reminiscences from Indians who were living in Burma in the 1940's. Vivid descriptions of the lives they lived, the Japanese bombing and occupation of Burma, their trek to India (only a handful of the narratives are from Indians that stayed in Japanese-occupied Burma).
This volume is an expansion of the author's previous work which only covered the Goan experience. It has been expanded to include several other Indian experiences as well.
To me the most shocking thing I learned from the book was that there were 3 different land routes from Burma to India: One of the - the easiest route - was reserved for the Whites and Anglo-Indians. The brown skinned Indians were forced to take the longer, more arduous routes when fleeing Burma.
This volume is an expansion of the author's previous work which only covered the Goan experience. It has been expanded to include several other Indian experiences as well.
To me the most shocking thing I learned from the book was that there were 3 different land routes from Burma to India: One of the - the easiest route - was reserved for the Whites and Anglo-Indians. The brown skinned Indians were forced to take the longer, more arduous routes when fleeing Burma.
April 24, 2016
Brings this forgotten forced migration to vivid life in all its pain, shock and hope...
July 13, 2026
On the fateful morning of 23rd Dec 1941, 54 jet bombers led by 24 fighter planes attacked Rangoon and reduced the once most cosmopolitan city in SouthEast Asia into a ghost town. It was recorded that about 2500 people died and a lot more were injured.
This oral history details the exodus of Goan Christians, mostly Anglo Indians after World War 2. The affluent businessmen, doctors, govt officials who contributed to the life and hustle bustle of the city had no choice but to flee sooner or later.
The lucky ones flew out before the last airport was destroyed. Next in line tried their luck with the ships sailing to ports of Calcutta, Madras and Visakhapatnam. The unfortunate ones had to trek, fight and survive wild animals, starvation and diseases.
Even in this grave situation Britishers didn't hold back from discrimination, the short easy route was marked as the 'white route' for Britishers and selected Anglo Indians, the other difficult 'black route' was left for the rest. The last and the most horrid route, via Hukawng Valley, where hundreds died, was picked as the last resort when all plans failed.
On August 1 1943, Japan declared Burma an independent nation under them, and thus began the nightmare of the ones left behind. By 1945 British recaptured it, and a lot of Goans returned, but everything was different now.
After the independence in 1948, the change was drastic, restrictions on the Indian migration were introduced. The slow resentment and racial hostility towards Indians caused major chaos & 5 lakh Indians left between 1962 to 1971. The ones who left behind didn't enjoy the yesteryear's prosperity and even adopted Burmese names to avoid bias.
The second part of the book has excerpts from books like ' White Butterflies, 'Bravo Mum' etc and how Jerry Pinto chose to write about Helen, the legend who was of mixed Burmese ancestry and the poem based on his mother who talked and dreamt of the Burma of the erstwhile times.
Reading about exodus invoked such pity and horror in my soul that sometimes I was restless and then the very next moment thankful that I didn't live during the partition or didn't have to survive through a war.
This oral history details the exodus of Goan Christians, mostly Anglo Indians after World War 2. The affluent businessmen, doctors, govt officials who contributed to the life and hustle bustle of the city had no choice but to flee sooner or later.
The lucky ones flew out before the last airport was destroyed. Next in line tried their luck with the ships sailing to ports of Calcutta, Madras and Visakhapatnam. The unfortunate ones had to trek, fight and survive wild animals, starvation and diseases.
Even in this grave situation Britishers didn't hold back from discrimination, the short easy route was marked as the 'white route' for Britishers and selected Anglo Indians, the other difficult 'black route' was left for the rest. The last and the most horrid route, via Hukawng Valley, where hundreds died, was picked as the last resort when all plans failed.
On August 1 1943, Japan declared Burma an independent nation under them, and thus began the nightmare of the ones left behind. By 1945 British recaptured it, and a lot of Goans returned, but everything was different now.
After the independence in 1948, the change was drastic, restrictions on the Indian migration were introduced. The slow resentment and racial hostility towards Indians caused major chaos & 5 lakh Indians left between 1962 to 1971. The ones who left behind didn't enjoy the yesteryear's prosperity and even adopted Burmese names to avoid bias.
The second part of the book has excerpts from books like ' White Butterflies, 'Bravo Mum' etc and how Jerry Pinto chose to write about Helen, the legend who was of mixed Burmese ancestry and the poem based on his mother who talked and dreamt of the Burma of the erstwhile times.
Reading about exodus invoked such pity and horror in my soul that sometimes I was restless and then the very next moment thankful that I didn't live during the partition or didn't have to survive through a war.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews