Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War

From this elevation, the Tochi river was a twist of green silk scarf, tied to conceal the beige blisters rising from the ground beside

While they had filed into the trenches of an alien continent, to die of gangrene, disease or the cold, the Army had sententiously debated whether it was alright for black Indians to kill White Germans, or even to have their wounds treated by White nurses. But Indians were not for crawling any more. They would not rank with dumb animals, only good f

The Army was older than the Raj itself, and it had filled with the silt of centuries, out of which grew all its pomp and folly.

The Indian Army was the world’s largest mercenary organisation; though it did not regard itself as such, its critics did not hesitate to. It was a force of paid soldiers who upheld the foreign occupation of their own land, and other people’s lands as well.

Early every Saturday, before the sun poured its jellied heat over Madras,

Around the world, the belligerent states chewed on their new possessions – Eastern Europe and Manchuria – in their respective backyards.

Nehru, though an ardent Anglophile and anti-fascist, took a stronger position. If some Indians saw their private opportunity in supporting the war, Nehru saw all of India’s best chance in opposing it. After meeting in council, the Congress leaders offered support for the war effort in exchange for Indian independence at the war’s end. It was declin

With the war begun, however, Nehru could not accept that Indian soldiers would die for the freedom of a nation which denied that very freedom to India; or that Indian taxes would pay to maintain those troops. Above all, the Congress leaders were appalled by the arrogance with which the Viceroy had committed India to war, without even consulting the

They were loyal in return, and around the Cannanore Cantonment, they had grown noticeably lighter-skinned, the wages of their hospitality to British soldiers.