The only memory for most Indians about the Second World War is of the defeat of the INA and the Japanese Army at the hands of the British (“India as the pivot in Asia”, May 9). In addition to this, the most serious blot on the Raj was the Bengal famine. All these dwarf the contributions made by Indian divisions in the East African, Iraq, North African and Italian campaigns. Also, Churchill refused to grant independence to India which led to Nehru asserting that “there is no question of my giving help to Britain. How can I fight for a thing, freedom which is denied to me?” The declaration of independence to India at that time could have augmented its contribution to the war.
Shrey Bhatnagar,Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh
