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The First World War Adventures Of Nariman Karkaria : A Memoir
Nariman Karkaria, a young Parsi from Gujarat, had always wanted to see the world. So he left home as a teenager with fifty rupees in his pocket to do just that. After working in Hong Kong and Peking for a few years, in 1914, when war was in the air, he decided to volunteer for the British Army. Passing through China, Manchuria, Siberia, Russia and Scandinavia, he reached London early in 1915 and managed to register as a private with the 24th Middlesex Regiment. He was now a Tommy.
Incredibly, Karkaria saw action on three major fronts in the next three years. In 1916, he was in the trenches at the Battle of the Somme. After convalescing from an injury, he was sent off to the Middle Eastern Front where he fought in the Battle of Jerusalem in 1917. He was then transferred to the Balkan Front in 1918, where he served in Salonika. After being discharged, he returned to India and wrote a book in Gujarati about his years of travel and adventure, which was published in 1922.
Karkaria’s war memoir is truly one of a kind. And in Murali Ranganathan’s brilliant translation, this astonishing story comes alive with rare immediacy and vigour.
Incredibly, Karkaria saw action on three major fronts in the next three years. In 1916, he was in the trenches at the Battle of the Somme. After convalescing from an injury, he was sent off to the Middle Eastern Front where he fought in the Battle of Jerusalem in 1917. He was then transferred to the Balkan Front in 1918, where he served in Salonika. After being discharged, he returned to India and wrote a book in Gujarati about his years of travel and adventure, which was published in 1922.
Karkaria’s war memoir is truly one of a kind. And in Murali Ranganathan’s brilliant translation, this astonishing story comes alive with rare immediacy and vigour.
260 pages, Hardcover
Published April 20, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 13 reviews
May 17, 2022
Bored by life in his small hometown of Navsari in Gujarat, and curious to see the world, fifteen year old Nariman Karkaria ran off with only fifty rupees in his pocket, to Bombay, and from there to China. This was only the start of young Karkaria's adventures: while he was in China, the Great War had broken out, and Karkaria, all fired up with zeal (and a thirst, perhaps, for further adventures?) headed - via Siberia and Scandinavia - to London, to enlist. Through the course of the war, he ended up fighting on three fronts: in France (at the Somme); in the Middle East; and in the Balkans.
While this book is called The First World War Adventures of a Nariman Karkaria, it's a lot more too. It's a travelogue, for one; Karkaria's insatiable desire to see the world means that wherever he travels, even when it's in the middle of a war (for instance, in Jerusalem), he takes the time to describe it, to visit the places of tourist interest, to talk about the local people. For another, it's an interesting insight into a world now vanished: not just in how people lived, or how much things cost, but in basic things like how long it took to get to one place from another, or how many of the facilities we have been taking for granted much of our current lives now were unknown a century ago.
Most of all, of course, it's about the war, about how it was to be a soldier fighting in the trenches (and elsewhere) in the First World War. The horror of it, and yet the resilience of the men, the sometimes even surprising treats that were in store for them.
I don't know Gujarati, so I haven't read Karkaria's original text, but Murali Ranganathan's translation is a delight to read. Karkaria comes across as a very down-to-earth, somewhat ebullient character with a never-say-die insouciance about him. He is chatty, fun, and very readable. Yes, there are some flaws here, which even Ranganathan points out, in the introduction to the text: Karkaria, for instance, omits any names of the many people he spent his time with - colleagues, friends, fellow soldiers, even though there are references to these people; also, of course, there is the occasionally racist remark, which I suppose is par for the course, given the time in which the book was written. I also cannot help but wonder if Karkaria faced any racial discrimination during his time in the army; he makes no mention of it, but it's hard to believe that there was nothing of the sort.
Despite these (relatively few) shortcomings, highly recommended. This is definitely one of the most entertaining memoirs of a war that I've read.
While this book is called The First World War Adventures of a Nariman Karkaria, it's a lot more too. It's a travelogue, for one; Karkaria's insatiable desire to see the world means that wherever he travels, even when it's in the middle of a war (for instance, in Jerusalem), he takes the time to describe it, to visit the places of tourist interest, to talk about the local people. For another, it's an interesting insight into a world now vanished: not just in how people lived, or how much things cost, but in basic things like how long it took to get to one place from another, or how many of the facilities we have been taking for granted much of our current lives now were unknown a century ago.
Most of all, of course, it's about the war, about how it was to be a soldier fighting in the trenches (and elsewhere) in the First World War. The horror of it, and yet the resilience of the men, the sometimes even surprising treats that were in store for them.
I don't know Gujarati, so I haven't read Karkaria's original text, but Murali Ranganathan's translation is a delight to read. Karkaria comes across as a very down-to-earth, somewhat ebullient character with a never-say-die insouciance about him. He is chatty, fun, and very readable. Yes, there are some flaws here, which even Ranganathan points out, in the introduction to the text: Karkaria, for instance, omits any names of the many people he spent his time with - colleagues, friends, fellow soldiers, even though there are references to these people; also, of course, there is the occasionally racist remark, which I suppose is par for the course, given the time in which the book was written. I also cannot help but wonder if Karkaria faced any racial discrimination during his time in the army; he makes no mention of it, but it's hard to believe that there was nothing of the sort.
Despite these (relatively few) shortcomings, highly recommended. This is definitely one of the most entertaining memoirs of a war that I've read.
September 22, 2022
There are times when you find a book out of serendipity. This is one book that I thought I had pulled the plug by mistake. The fact is, I had bought this book because of the most unlikely claim it made. A First world War memoir written by a Gujarati, that too a Parsi!
Gujarat is well known for the maritime trade from ancient times and the Gujaratis were always known as traders. There was no well known warrior history with Gujarat and the Gujaratis in forefront for this reason. They were known more as traders than warriors, that too noted for being very conservative.
Now Parsis are another matter all together. They are originally from Persia, a minority community in India and perhaps, there are only a very miniscule number of them present all over the world. They are a closed community known for their enterprising skills and for being very forward in their appearance and outlook, yet very closed as a society in certain aspects. So this claim made it an attractive one that appealed to my interest.
"In 1920, Karkaria had no role models in the Gujarati language from whom he could draw inspiration to write a war memoir. It is a genre in which Gujarati, like most other Indian languages, has very few books even now, a century later."
But I had apprehension about it from the beginning. I took it up and started browsing, thinking I would anyway lose interest quickly and would soon put it away.
However, the foreword by Amitav Ghosh piqued my interest and I started reading ahead.
"Nariman Karkaria, a young Parsi from Gujarat, had apparently always wanted to see the world. Sometime in 1910, when he was in his teens, he left home with fifty rupees in his pocket to do just that. He eventually made his way to China, travelled, among other places, to Peking and then to Japan, when somebody suggested that he might as well travel to Siberia since he was so near. And that’s what he did. He eventually made his way across Siberia to St Petersburg and then on to Finland and Norway, and eventually reached London, I think, sometime in 1914 or 1915 (he is not very strong on dates). Another long-standing desire of his was to see a war and he wasn’t going to let pass an opportunity which suddenly presented itself. He went to Whitehall to volunteer but they shooed him away since he was an Indian and suggested he join some desi regiment. He, however, managed to eventually register as a Private with the 24th Middlesex in its D Company, and thus became a ‘Tommy’, as he proudly announces."
At the start, the book did not inspire much. But as the narration progressed, his enthusiasm and his descriptions slowly start engaging me. Though the narration is devoid of any drama, his initial innocent enthusiasm, latches on to us as we read on. His observations are very naïve to begin with but as his experience with the way of the world increases, it seems to become very jaded and opinionated, sometimes bordering on racial stereotypes.
"If one has a few hours to spare, Tientsin is worth wandering around. The European-style houses of the Legations and the hustle-bustle of military activities are a sight worth seeing. There are a couple of Zoroastrian shops in Tientsin where, on most days, one can enjoy Parsi food. The Parsis in China are quite welcoming. I satiated myself by having my morning meal at the premises of Messrs H. Viccajee before turning towards the sprawling Tientsin station at three in the afternoon. What a terrible sight! The chaos of the place surpassed even our noxious fish markets. Baby-footed Chinese women were running around pell-mell in every direction, some with bundles of hay, and others with baskets of foul-smelling stuff."
"Let us now pop into a few of these shops. The most exciting ones are those that sell a range of cooked food. The most popular item seems to be boiled egg. Can you imagine what it is like? It is deadly black in colour, and if you were to hold it to your nose, you might swoon!"
"The entire intelligence of the short-statured Japanese seems to be concentrated in their bald heads. The seats in the carriages are so arranged that three people can sit in one row. As they have installed hand rests between each seat, one cannot stretch out in these seats even if the carriage is empty. How else would people pay so much money for their sleeper carriages?"
One thing that has been told is that the Parsis consider themselves more of an Europeans than Asian or Indian. This undertone can be noted in many places in his narration. For instance,
"I was admittedly a sahib in China, but back home, I had reverted to being a black man. But I was not bothered about such stuff. Now that it was getting on six months, ten months, even twelve months, I was, as the Tommies would say, ‘Fed up!’ of this black town."
In fact whole point of getting out and traveling reaches a full circle when he finds himself among "Tommies", as he refers the British army. He then goes to war as part of British army rather than a part of Indian army is a case in point.
However, if one reads between the lines carefully, many times during and after his wartime narration, you can notice the spiritual oscillations he underwent. His assertion on Christ as a prophet, Calling to Allah more than once, his pride when talking about Iranian Conqueror of Jerusalem, somehow points to this phenomenon. However the Parsi kid from Navsari asserts himself once the war is over.
His passing reference to incidents and escapades present an interesting microscope into the times and events, that one has to closely watch and study. For example, his narration on experiences inside Russia and later inside Georgia presents an interesting study. First time when he travels through Russia, it is the zenith of Romanov Tsars. Later part it is after the Revolution. His narration looked from this prism lets one get the significance of what he is not saying.
"When I’d had a cup of coffee at Harbin station the previous night, I had paid with a sparkling silver rouble. In return I’d got little paper stamps with ten kopeks written on them. I was not particularly impressed and began arguing with the cashier. While he tried to explain the matter to me in his non-existent English, I accused him of being a thief in the Russian I had learnt at Navsari: ‘When I gave you a sparkling coin, how dare you give me postage stamps in return? I don’t intend to post any letters, so give my change in real money.’ As usual, an audience quickly gathered around us. Ultimately, I became the laughing stock when I finally realized that these were not postage stamps, but paper notes of very small denomination. I offered a few words of apology and quietly backtracked amidst much laughter. This was when I realized one need not be saddled by the weight of coins in this country. You could stuff as many notes, ranging from five kopeks to hundred kopeks in your pocket, and they would not make a sound."
His wartime narration is very threadbare as far as his observation or his derived opinion goes. It does not have any usual embellishment of facts that make it an adventure, but a dry factual narration that presents the reality of war, as it was.
"Just as we were occupied in our search-and-rummage operations, the enemy reorganized and suddenly launched a counter-attack on us by firing a shower of bullets. Two of our soldiers immediately fell down injured. One of them was so grievously hurt that he could not move. Unfortunately, we had not taken any of the prescribed precautions for self-protection, and this attack caught us by surprise and we started running helter-skelter. We were desperately searching for a place to hide, perhaps crouch behind a large boulder. We started fighting among ourselves over boulders. We had never imagined that the enemy would regroup and attack us again. We were surrounded by machine-gun fire from three sides, and in a short while, we suffered a lot of casualties."
As we progress the enthusiasm of that teenage kid who left Navsari to see the world never seems to have dimmed. In the end it is fantastic account of a Gujarati spanning the most notorious battle fronts of Somme, Middle East and Balkans. It is a amazing experience that certainly owes thanks to the Translator Murali Ranganathan. Definitely an interesting book that begs a wider read.
Gujarat is well known for the maritime trade from ancient times and the Gujaratis were always known as traders. There was no well known warrior history with Gujarat and the Gujaratis in forefront for this reason. They were known more as traders than warriors, that too noted for being very conservative.
Now Parsis are another matter all together. They are originally from Persia, a minority community in India and perhaps, there are only a very miniscule number of them present all over the world. They are a closed community known for their enterprising skills and for being very forward in their appearance and outlook, yet very closed as a society in certain aspects. So this claim made it an attractive one that appealed to my interest.
"In 1920, Karkaria had no role models in the Gujarati language from whom he could draw inspiration to write a war memoir. It is a genre in which Gujarati, like most other Indian languages, has very few books even now, a century later."
But I had apprehension about it from the beginning. I took it up and started browsing, thinking I would anyway lose interest quickly and would soon put it away.
However, the foreword by Amitav Ghosh piqued my interest and I started reading ahead.
"Nariman Karkaria, a young Parsi from Gujarat, had apparently always wanted to see the world. Sometime in 1910, when he was in his teens, he left home with fifty rupees in his pocket to do just that. He eventually made his way to China, travelled, among other places, to Peking and then to Japan, when somebody suggested that he might as well travel to Siberia since he was so near. And that’s what he did. He eventually made his way across Siberia to St Petersburg and then on to Finland and Norway, and eventually reached London, I think, sometime in 1914 or 1915 (he is not very strong on dates). Another long-standing desire of his was to see a war and he wasn’t going to let pass an opportunity which suddenly presented itself. He went to Whitehall to volunteer but they shooed him away since he was an Indian and suggested he join some desi regiment. He, however, managed to eventually register as a Private with the 24th Middlesex in its D Company, and thus became a ‘Tommy’, as he proudly announces."
At the start, the book did not inspire much. But as the narration progressed, his enthusiasm and his descriptions slowly start engaging me. Though the narration is devoid of any drama, his initial innocent enthusiasm, latches on to us as we read on. His observations are very naïve to begin with but as his experience with the way of the world increases, it seems to become very jaded and opinionated, sometimes bordering on racial stereotypes.
"If one has a few hours to spare, Tientsin is worth wandering around. The European-style houses of the Legations and the hustle-bustle of military activities are a sight worth seeing. There are a couple of Zoroastrian shops in Tientsin where, on most days, one can enjoy Parsi food. The Parsis in China are quite welcoming. I satiated myself by having my morning meal at the premises of Messrs H. Viccajee before turning towards the sprawling Tientsin station at three in the afternoon. What a terrible sight! The chaos of the place surpassed even our noxious fish markets. Baby-footed Chinese women were running around pell-mell in every direction, some with bundles of hay, and others with baskets of foul-smelling stuff."
"Let us now pop into a few of these shops. The most exciting ones are those that sell a range of cooked food. The most popular item seems to be boiled egg. Can you imagine what it is like? It is deadly black in colour, and if you were to hold it to your nose, you might swoon!"
"The entire intelligence of the short-statured Japanese seems to be concentrated in their bald heads. The seats in the carriages are so arranged that three people can sit in one row. As they have installed hand rests between each seat, one cannot stretch out in these seats even if the carriage is empty. How else would people pay so much money for their sleeper carriages?"
One thing that has been told is that the Parsis consider themselves more of an Europeans than Asian or Indian. This undertone can be noted in many places in his narration. For instance,
"I was admittedly a sahib in China, but back home, I had reverted to being a black man. But I was not bothered about such stuff. Now that it was getting on six months, ten months, even twelve months, I was, as the Tommies would say, ‘Fed up!’ of this black town."
In fact whole point of getting out and traveling reaches a full circle when he finds himself among "Tommies", as he refers the British army. He then goes to war as part of British army rather than a part of Indian army is a case in point.
However, if one reads between the lines carefully, many times during and after his wartime narration, you can notice the spiritual oscillations he underwent. His assertion on Christ as a prophet, Calling to Allah more than once, his pride when talking about Iranian Conqueror of Jerusalem, somehow points to this phenomenon. However the Parsi kid from Navsari asserts himself once the war is over.
His passing reference to incidents and escapades present an interesting microscope into the times and events, that one has to closely watch and study. For example, his narration on experiences inside Russia and later inside Georgia presents an interesting study. First time when he travels through Russia, it is the zenith of Romanov Tsars. Later part it is after the Revolution. His narration looked from this prism lets one get the significance of what he is not saying.
"When I’d had a cup of coffee at Harbin station the previous night, I had paid with a sparkling silver rouble. In return I’d got little paper stamps with ten kopeks written on them. I was not particularly impressed and began arguing with the cashier. While he tried to explain the matter to me in his non-existent English, I accused him of being a thief in the Russian I had learnt at Navsari: ‘When I gave you a sparkling coin, how dare you give me postage stamps in return? I don’t intend to post any letters, so give my change in real money.’ As usual, an audience quickly gathered around us. Ultimately, I became the laughing stock when I finally realized that these were not postage stamps, but paper notes of very small denomination. I offered a few words of apology and quietly backtracked amidst much laughter. This was when I realized one need not be saddled by the weight of coins in this country. You could stuff as many notes, ranging from five kopeks to hundred kopeks in your pocket, and they would not make a sound."
His wartime narration is very threadbare as far as his observation or his derived opinion goes. It does not have any usual embellishment of facts that make it an adventure, but a dry factual narration that presents the reality of war, as it was.
"Just as we were occupied in our search-and-rummage operations, the enemy reorganized and suddenly launched a counter-attack on us by firing a shower of bullets. Two of our soldiers immediately fell down injured. One of them was so grievously hurt that he could not move. Unfortunately, we had not taken any of the prescribed precautions for self-protection, and this attack caught us by surprise and we started running helter-skelter. We were desperately searching for a place to hide, perhaps crouch behind a large boulder. We started fighting among ourselves over boulders. We had never imagined that the enemy would regroup and attack us again. We were surrounded by machine-gun fire from three sides, and in a short while, we suffered a lot of casualties."
As we progress the enthusiasm of that teenage kid who left Navsari to see the world never seems to have dimmed. In the end it is fantastic account of a Gujarati spanning the most notorious battle fronts of Somme, Middle East and Balkans. It is a amazing experience that certainly owes thanks to the Translator Murali Ranganathan. Definitely an interesting book that begs a wider read.
May 18, 2022
‘As I embarked on this thoughtless adventure, I wondered how my family would react to my disappearance…’
A riveting eyewitness account of WW1 by a young Indian soldier, “The First World War Adventures of Nariman Karkaria” is truly an astonishing find—as much a significant historical document as it is a vivid account of one man’s unusual and swashbuckling journey.
In 1910, a teenager named Nariman Karkaria ran away from his hometown in Gujarat to embark on a voyage to China, where he hoped to make his fortune like other Parsis before him. The rude shock he received on his arrival in Hong Kong did nothing to dampen his spirit, and eventually Nariman found himself travelling halfway across the world to London where he managed to join a British regiment fighting in WW1. Most incredibly, he saw action on three major fronts: France, the Middle East and the Balkans. And most importantly, he lived to tell the tale.
Brilliantly translated from the Gujarati original by Murali Ranganathan, who captures the cadence and flair of Nariman Karkaria’s spirited voice, this is a must-read, not least because it illumines the little-known experiences of a non-white, subaltern soldier drafted in a World War on behalf of the British Raj.
A riveting eyewitness account of WW1 by a young Indian soldier, “The First World War Adventures of Nariman Karkaria” is truly an astonishing find—as much a significant historical document as it is a vivid account of one man’s unusual and swashbuckling journey.
In 1910, a teenager named Nariman Karkaria ran away from his hometown in Gujarat to embark on a voyage to China, where he hoped to make his fortune like other Parsis before him. The rude shock he received on his arrival in Hong Kong did nothing to dampen his spirit, and eventually Nariman found himself travelling halfway across the world to London where he managed to join a British regiment fighting in WW1. Most incredibly, he saw action on three major fronts: France, the Middle East and the Balkans. And most importantly, he lived to tell the tale.
Brilliantly translated from the Gujarati original by Murali Ranganathan, who captures the cadence and flair of Nariman Karkaria’s spirited voice, this is a must-read, not least because it illumines the little-known experiences of a non-white, subaltern soldier drafted in a World War on behalf of the British Raj.
June 14, 2022
The first thing that drew me to this book was its uniqueness, being the only known memoir of WWI written by an Indian.
Nariman Karkaria chose to leave his hometown with very little money and travel the world, heading first to the fabled land of China. From there he explores various parts of Europe, and eventually finds himself surrounded by a wartime environment as the First World War takes over his travel experiences.
So he decides to join the war, and enlists – after some difficulty – with the British army. From there, he fights at three fronts of the war and emerges as one of the few who lived to tell the tale.
The interesting thing about this memoir is the abrupt, alternating shifts between the jovial and curious tone typical of a travelogue, and the grim, hardened accounts of war. One moment, Karkaria is narrating the exciting newness of a foreign land, complete with details of the people, places, food and lifestyle – and in another moment we find him recounting the horrors of being posted on the warfront, facing poisonous gases, terrible injuries, outbreaks of diseases, sleep deprivation, starvation and never-ending fear in graphic detail.
But the war never fully extinguished his love of exploration, and we always find him bouncing back to his cheery self whenever he gets to travel somewhere new.
The only thing that I found disappointing was experiencing the level of internalised whitewashing that pervaded India in those days, with Karkaria’s consistent praise of the British and lamentation over the supposed inferiority of India, but overall it was a very interesting experience to immerse myself in the life of this resilient, curious and courageous individual.
Nariman Karkaria chose to leave his hometown with very little money and travel the world, heading first to the fabled land of China. From there he explores various parts of Europe, and eventually finds himself surrounded by a wartime environment as the First World War takes over his travel experiences.
So he decides to join the war, and enlists – after some difficulty – with the British army. From there, he fights at three fronts of the war and emerges as one of the few who lived to tell the tale.
The interesting thing about this memoir is the abrupt, alternating shifts between the jovial and curious tone typical of a travelogue, and the grim, hardened accounts of war. One moment, Karkaria is narrating the exciting newness of a foreign land, complete with details of the people, places, food and lifestyle – and in another moment we find him recounting the horrors of being posted on the warfront, facing poisonous gases, terrible injuries, outbreaks of diseases, sleep deprivation, starvation and never-ending fear in graphic detail.
But the war never fully extinguished his love of exploration, and we always find him bouncing back to his cheery self whenever he gets to travel somewhere new.
The only thing that I found disappointing was experiencing the level of internalised whitewashing that pervaded India in those days, with Karkaria’s consistent praise of the British and lamentation over the supposed inferiority of India, but overall it was a very interesting experience to immerse myself in the life of this resilient, curious and courageous individual.
May 16, 2023
It’s not everyday that I come across World War narratives set in India. So, I was really thrilled when I came across “The First World War Adventures of Nariman Karkaria,” (orig title: Rangbhoomi par Rakhad), a memoir no less. Translated superbly by Murali Ranganathan from Gujarati, Nariman Karkaria’s memoir is a rambling account of his experiences during the First World War.
It’s alternatively gripping and terrifying but also peppered with Karkaria’s wry humour. Karkaria grew up in a small town called Navsari in Gujarat and the book begins with a brief description of his life there. Karkaria grew up a typical small town boy with a lust for adventure and a burning curiosity to see the world. And so he does.
Karkaria sets off on a steamer bound for Hong Kong, which was the only passage he could afford after selling his gold chain and the gold buttons on his coat. He didn’t inform anyone at home fearing that he would be stopped. He works odd jobs for a while in Hong Kong and Peking sustaining himself with meagre earnings.
Subsequently, he ends up travelling across more places as far flung as Russia and Siberia. In the meantime, the First World War breaks out. Amitav Ghosh describes what happened next in his foreword.
“Another long-standing desire of his was to see a war and he wasn’t going to let pass an opportunity which suddenly presented itself. He went to Whitehall to volunteer but they shooed him away since he was an Indian and suggested he join some desi regiment. He, however, managed to eventually register as a Private with the 24th Middlesex in its D Company, and thus became a ‘Tommy’, as he proudly announces.”
And that’s how Nariman Karkaria came to fight in three important fronts as part of the British regiment - France, the Balkans, and the Middle East - and even survived to write this book we read today.
Karkaria’s observations are keen and laced with his innate humour. At times, we can see glimpses of the Navsari boy in him as he compares people and things to Parsi beliefs and customs or when he delights in seeking out Parsi food and shops wherever he goes. There is a guileless quality about his impressions devoid of any embellishments or drama. He seems to have written things down as he saw them along with his very candid opinions. And it sometimes could be racist as he describes “baby-footed Chinese women” and “short-statured Japanese.” But as Ranganathan notes in the introduction “In an era when racial stereotypes were bandied about without a second thought, it would be difficult to fault Karkaria…”
While Karkaria gives us plenty of descriptions of the sights and sounds around him we never get to really know any of the people he describes. His fellow ‘Tommies’, the Parsis he meets, or even his family. They pass through the narrative, a part of the blur of faces he encounters.
Karkaria’s account is a precious bundle of memoir, reportage, and travelogue. Go on this adventure with him.
It’s alternatively gripping and terrifying but also peppered with Karkaria’s wry humour. Karkaria grew up in a small town called Navsari in Gujarat and the book begins with a brief description of his life there. Karkaria grew up a typical small town boy with a lust for adventure and a burning curiosity to see the world. And so he does.
Karkaria sets off on a steamer bound for Hong Kong, which was the only passage he could afford after selling his gold chain and the gold buttons on his coat. He didn’t inform anyone at home fearing that he would be stopped. He works odd jobs for a while in Hong Kong and Peking sustaining himself with meagre earnings.
Subsequently, he ends up travelling across more places as far flung as Russia and Siberia. In the meantime, the First World War breaks out. Amitav Ghosh describes what happened next in his foreword.
“Another long-standing desire of his was to see a war and he wasn’t going to let pass an opportunity which suddenly presented itself. He went to Whitehall to volunteer but they shooed him away since he was an Indian and suggested he join some desi regiment. He, however, managed to eventually register as a Private with the 24th Middlesex in its D Company, and thus became a ‘Tommy’, as he proudly announces.”
And that’s how Nariman Karkaria came to fight in three important fronts as part of the British regiment - France, the Balkans, and the Middle East - and even survived to write this book we read today.
Karkaria’s observations are keen and laced with his innate humour. At times, we can see glimpses of the Navsari boy in him as he compares people and things to Parsi beliefs and customs or when he delights in seeking out Parsi food and shops wherever he goes. There is a guileless quality about his impressions devoid of any embellishments or drama. He seems to have written things down as he saw them along with his very candid opinions. And it sometimes could be racist as he describes “baby-footed Chinese women” and “short-statured Japanese.” But as Ranganathan notes in the introduction “In an era when racial stereotypes were bandied about without a second thought, it would be difficult to fault Karkaria…”
While Karkaria gives us plenty of descriptions of the sights and sounds around him we never get to really know any of the people he describes. His fellow ‘Tommies’, the Parsis he meets, or even his family. They pass through the narrative, a part of the blur of faces he encounters.
Karkaria’s account is a precious bundle of memoir, reportage, and travelogue. Go on this adventure with him.
January 8, 2023
If only war memoirs were so lively!
You can feel the emotions of young Nariman in the Battle of the Somme or the deserts of Egypt and Israel in this small book that does not delve too much on reflection, rather it brings the battles to life for the reader. There is a small lesson on each page - either in history, geography or personality development.
Personally, I admire the courage and conviction with which Nariman began his journey and did not abandon hope midway to return to the comforts of his hometown at Navsari. This indeed was a unique find at the Kolkata Airport (for me)!
You can feel the emotions of young Nariman in the Battle of the Somme or the deserts of Egypt and Israel in this small book that does not delve too much on reflection, rather it brings the battles to life for the reader. There is a small lesson on each page - either in history, geography or personality development.
Personally, I admire the courage and conviction with which Nariman began his journey and did not abandon hope midway to return to the comforts of his hometown at Navsari. This indeed was a unique find at the Kolkata Airport (for me)!
May 22, 2023
Having chanced upon it in a bookstore I had minimal expectations from it. But boy it really exceeded my expectations and was fun to read! I have new found respect for the soldiers who fought the World war. The author delves deeply into what happens on the battlefield at an operational level (although curtailed at some places and uni dimensional in terms of narration) and it was a very quick read because of the way it is laid out. Would never associate Indians participating in WWI, but this book gives that new perspective.
November 14, 2022
This is my first ever War memoir, really spell bound by the entire journey, his recollection of the cultures in the places he visited gives very good perspective of it was in the early part 20th century.
His journey from East to West and seeing action on 3 war fronts is something special. Absolutely loved the journey. I'm very glad that he documented, this is precious !
His journey from East to West and seeing action on 3 war fronts is something special. Absolutely loved the journey. I'm very glad that he documented, this is precious !
August 22, 2022
A fantastic account of a runaway Indian Parsi and his adventures.
Barring one small piece in one chapter the adventures are fairly authentic.
The books itself has a lot a of humour and a lovely first hand account.
Barring one small piece in one chapter the adventures are fairly authentic.
The books itself has a lot a of humour and a lovely first hand account.
September 19, 2022
A fun, light read that travels the world in the early 1900s.
June 10, 2022
Wonderful travelogue of this incredibly plucky fellow who has all kinds of adventures starting at age 16! Quite cool to read an account by an Indian during WWI and one that is not academic in nature.
June 16, 2022
Interesting insight into early nineties world by an Indian Parsi who steps out and explores the world from China to Europe and participated in the WWI
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