IN FEBRUARY 1946, sailors of the Royal Indian Navy rose in rebellion. Enraged by terrible working conditions, discrimination and neglect, as many as 20,000 men captured 78 ships and 21 shore establishments, and replaced British flags with that of the Congress, the Muslim League and the Communist Party of India. Ordinary people took to the streets to support the mutiny.
To quell it, the British sent warships and fighter planes. The ratings responded by training naval guns on the Gateway of India, Yacht Club and dockyards.
It was, writes award-winning publisher Pramod Kapoor, India’s last war of independence—one that hastened the end of the British Raj. But the details of the mutiny have been left out of popular narratives of India’s freedom struggle. After years of research, Kapoor has come out with a book that brings to light a forgotten chapter in India’s freedom struggle. Exclusive excerpts from 1946 Royal Indian Navy Mutiny: Last War of Independence:
BOMBAY WOKE TO what became the bloodiest day of the mutiny. On Friday (February 22, 1946), even as the political leadership turned their backs on the ratings, ordinary citizens took to the barricades to bravely face tanks and bullets in support of the strikers.
Newspaper reports estimated that somewhere between 350 to 700 people were killed and between 1,000 to 1,500 people were injured, some gravely.
Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin May 01, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin May 01, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.