India's War

March 14, 2016
In this durable and occasionally thrilling account of India’s role in WWII, Raghavan (War and Peace in Modern India), a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research and a lecturer at King’s College London, restores significance to a period of modern Indian history often left out of dominant narratives on both WWII and the rise of the Indian nationalist movement. Dragged into the war as an unwilling participant, India would muster the largest volunteer army in history in the service of the British Empire, while leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar simultaneously condemned the war effort and sought to leverage it for political gain. Raghavan’s retelling of this hugely important story tends to become submerged in the details of military campaigns, with the promise of the book’s subtitle remaining largely unfulfilled, despite the attention paid to India’s regional sub-empire and the effect of the warfare state on postwar political mobilization. But the book provides a much-needed window into the wartime experiences of ordinary Indians. As imperial subjects fighting Nazi tyranny, yet denied freedom themselves, the subalterns of the Indian Army found themselves caught between sovereignty and liberty in unknown lands. In making these forgotten voices heard, Raghavan succeeds admirably. Maps & illus. Agent: Melanie Jackson, Melanie Jackson Agency.

March 15, 2016
Though the story is overshadowed today by the cataclysmic aftereffects of independence and partition, India during World War II raised the largest volunteer fighting force in history, ineluctably altering the nation's social structure and political makeup. Raghavan (Defense Studies/King's Coll. London; 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh, 2013, etc.), a military historian and former Indian infantry officer, unearths a period of India's history customarily consigned to the dustbin as the last gasp of an antiquated colonial system. Even amid mounting opposition to the crown, the Indian political classes widely recognized that the British Empire should be supported in its struggle with Hitler, and "New Delhi and London knew that the Raj would be called upon to make a major contribution to the defense of countries that traditionally fell under its sphere of influence." Between 1939 and 1945, the size of the Indian army increased tenfold, and Raghavan examines the rapidly shifting political alliances within and among the Congress Party, the Muslim League, and the princely states, the performance of the new soldiers on battlefields from North Africa to Malaya, and the massive domestic disruptions caused by recruiting and shipping out well over 2 million young men. While certain chapters belabor the minutiae of troop movements and formations, the author is more compelling when addressing the constraints and paradoxes faced by Indians battling fascism on behalf of an empire that still deemed them unworthy of exercising self-governance and relied on an Orientalist conception of "martial races" to plan recruiting efforts. The strategic needs of British divisions always came first, and Indian troops were moved around with little regard for their preparation or aptitude. In the hapless Southeast Asian campaigns, writes the author, "[t]he brigade [in Burma] had done little training for jungle warfare either in India or Burma," and the officers "showed little interest in organized training." World War II was a crucible that forged the modern identities of South Asian nations in ways rarely acknowledged since. While overlong, this book illuminates that period.

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February 15, 2016

Raghavan (War and Peace in Modern India) has written what will probably become the standard account of India's involvement in World War II. His more balanced approach, compared to other recent works on the subject, is less critical of Great Britain's administration of the subcontinent and more comprehensive in terms of emphasizing aspects beyond India's role in the Middle East, the fighting in Burma, and the war's impact on Indian domestic politics. The country's history is challenging to document because the Indian experience was complicated by many residents viewing Britain as a greater threat than the Axis Powers--and because the events were quickly overshadowed by the convulsions that took place when India gained independence and was partitioned. The author, however, shows that understanding India's background is fundamental to comprehending Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and India itself today. VERDICT This book will be appreciated by scholars and general readers alike who wish to discover more answers to India's role in World War II.--Michael Farrell, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, FL

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Raghavan (1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh, 2013) has written an illuminating political, sociological, and historical study of India's role in WWII. When Britain entered the war, in 1939, so, too, did Colonial India, though not of its own volition. Nor was allegiance to Britain and the Allies assured as India began mobilizing its economy and society in preparation for war. The Axis powers made adroit offers to support India's goal of independence, while Britain resisted such overtures. Ultimately, India's armed forces led battles in North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, shaping Allied progress. The immense needs of the war machine led to a broadening of the ethnic makeup of its troops and the Indianization of its officers corps, setting the stage for postwar societal changes. By weaving dense source materials into a well-structured narrative, Raghavan reveals the ways Indian leaders, including Gandhi, Nehru, Bose, and Jinnah, determined India's participation in the war and the birth of modern India and Pakistan, in 1947. Raghavan expertly fills a gap in twentieth-century history and geopolitical collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)