When one thinks of the Second World War, you immediately think of the Normandy landing, the Russian troops pushing back the Nazi Blitz at Stalingrad, the horrors of the Concentration Camps and the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. You seldom hear of the part played by Indians in the Second World War. In her latest book, The Raj At War , British historian and author Yasmin Khan attempts to shed light on the impact of WW II in India. She says, “Independent India has always held a complex relationship with the Second World War. In Indian history, the 1940s are dominated by the national movement.
“The Second World War is not dealt in great detail in India. My book has characters ranging from American soldiers in Calcutta to Polish refugees in Mumbai, to Quit India activists and non military people, who were impacted by the conflict. I wanted to find voices that we do not normally hear in historical texts.”
The Raj at War was also a personal story for Yasmin, as her grandparents were also involved in the war effort. “A lot of my research for the book involved going through my family’s history.
A lot of the military aspects of the conflict are found in great detail in national archives across the planet. I wanted to fill the gaps that I felt existed in the story of the people, when the Raj was fighting the war. Old photos and interviews with some of the survivors also helped in the research. I wanted to break the Euro-centric version of history that is taught in schools in South Asia and Britain.”
The involvement of Indian troops in the Second World War was a complicated story, Yasmin points out, “A lot of the officers and soldiers who signed up for the war were nationalists. They joined the army as they saw it as an opportunity to get a government job and be able to fend for themselves and their families. Many also hoped that the skills they learn could be put to use, when India emerges as an independent country.” She adds, “The Second World War was one of the few instances when the Indian troops had to fight a global war within the country. Earlier involvements used to be in far away places and did not impact the layperson much. In this book, I pointed out the impact of the war on Indian society.”
The war changed the Indian landscape a great deal. “From multiple airports that started off as aerodromes during the war to Indian businesses that were set up during this period, the War has impacted Indian society at all levels.”
Yasmin warns about the dangers of singular interpretations of history. “I think history needs multiple interpretations and must not be straitjacketed. I dislike random nationalistic interpretations. As far as the Indian subcontinent is concerned, there are many themes that must be brought out and debated in the public domain.”
