"Freedom on the Waves: The Indian Naval Mutiny" Topic

"It is perhaps the natural course of history that some events and individuals are remembered more than others. The Indian struggle for independence is no exception. While the great leaders, and the movements they led command respect, there remain unsung heroes whose contribution has remained unknown except in the scholarly books of historians. The mutiny of the Royal Indian Navy (RIN), which broke out on February 18, 1946 – and, in only five days, delivered a mortal blow to the entire structure of the British Raj – is one oft-forgotten saga. It is worthy of remembrance on its 70th anniversary.

The Second World War changed geopolitics. It also altered the way societies view the world and themselves. The Indian soldier was no exception. The war had caused rapid expansion of the RIN. In 1945, it was 10 times larger than its size in 1939. Recruitment was no longer confined to martial races; men from different social strata, including many college-educated, enlisted. As the campaigns carried the soldiers across the seas, they saw the world, read the newspapers and learnt that the war was for ‘restoring democracy and freedom'. The Indians themselves were hailed as liberators as they freed Greece, Italy, Burma, Indo-China and Indonesia from Axis rule. This forced many of them to wonder ‘Will not my own country be free? How am I a liberator when my own land is a colony?' Moreover, the inclusion of Indians in technical posts had proven that they were no less than the whites in professional expertise. And, they had seen first-hand how the Europeans had fled in face of the initial Japanese onslaught – ‘white supremacy' was an obsolete myth…"
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Amicalement
Armand

My father, serving in the US Army in the horn of Africa, was transferred home via India, Thailand and the Philippines in the later 1940s. His memories of traveling in India were of the open racism that the British had towards the native population, mentioning that even in the US south he'd never heard or see such behavior openly.

Later, stationed in Hanoi in 1952-1953, he decided that how the French treated the local population was even worse, describing how French troops would set up road blocks to stop and arrest young women who would have to "work" off their fines by spending time in a French brothel.

Racism is ugly no matter who does it or who suffers.

Glup!….

Amicalement
Armand