India’s War

"[A]s Mr. Raghavan's fascinating account of the geopolitics of the war makes clear, there is more at stake in the history of India in World War II than 'rounding out' the story.... The history [Raghavan] writes is inspired by the search for a wider horizon for India as a regional superpower beyond the confining frame bequeathed by World War II and the ragged end of British Empire in Asia. It is all the more important and urgent for that."

"Raghavan usefully supplies the facts, in charts, figures, maps and details of military operations.... He also gives thorough, fascinating and revealing accounts of the economic transformations."

"Raghavan's panoramic and richly detailed book deserves the accolades that it is receiving as the most comprehensive account of the subcontinent's experiences in the second world war. A historian at King's College London, Raghavan unearths much new detail and displays a masterful grasp of wartime diplomacy and economics."

"A panoramic work, spanning the deliberations of the highest Allied councils of war to the febrile mood on the streets of Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, in the shadow of the Japanese advance.... Raghavan?s splendid history is a reminder not just of India's historic contribution to the defeat of fascism, but also its geopolitical potential throughout the Indo-Pacific."

"A highly readable account of one of the more complex--and ignored--phase of World War II."

"Raghavan has written what will probably become the standard account of India's involvement in World War II."

"India's War 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."

"[Raghavan] is unarguably our finest military historian. Like the best in the genre, he turns the battlefields of the past into pages where we read the backstories of our political existence--and makes history intimate and immediate."

"Masterly.... Despite the vastness of the fields he has to cover, Raghavan has written a surprisingly comprehensive piece of work, an unlikely but successful combination of both enormous scope and a great depth of detail. An accomplished writer, he guides his readers through the labyrinths of the changing military and political scenes while keeping their interest with flashes of rare detail and personal witness."

"Histories of the Second World War tend to ignore India, and histories of modern India tend to underplay the War. In this superb work of scholarship, Srinath Raghavan comprehensively makes up for decades of neglect by writers and historians.... India's War is a work of immense and enduring importance."

"World War II was a crucible that forged the modern identities of South Asian nations in ways rarely acknowledged since.... India's War illuminates that period."

"An illuminating political, sociological, and historical study of India's role in WWII. Raghavan expertly fills a gap in twentieth-century history and geopolitical collections."

"Absorbing and important...this rational and detailed book should start a debate."

"Ambitious.... Raghavan's study fulfills his mission in presenting readers with intertwined narratives of military campaigns, international strategies, and the rise of the freedom struggle that was to determine the future of the subcontinent."

"Rarely does one come across a relatively young analyst being as thoughtful and erudite on questions of war, peace and national strategy, as Dr Srinath Raghavan. His book India's War is a comprehensive account of how a 2.5 million-strong Indian Army was raised, trained, equipped and deployed, to fight during the Second World War."