Diya Gupta’s India in the Second World War: An Emotional History is a powerful reminder that history is not just made of events, dates, and policies but also of human emotions that shape how those events are lived and remembered. While the Second World War is often framed through a Western lens as the “good war,” Gupta shifts the focus to India and reveals how millions of Indians experienced this period with loyalty, resistance, fear, grief, and hope.
The book highlights a striking paradox. Around 2.5 million Indian soldiers served in the British army, risking their lives for a colonial power, while millions of civilians at home suffered hunger and exploitation. The Bengal famine of 1943 killed an estimated 3 million people, a tragedy worsened by wartime policies. At the same time, the Indian National Army fought against the British, bringing another layer of complexity to the narrative. Gupta demonstrates that India’s role in the war was never straightforward because it was deeply linked with the country’s struggle for freedom and the contradictions of colonial rule.
What makes this book stand out is Gupta’s focus on emotions as a way of writing history. She uses a wide range of sources including letters, poems, novels, essays, and photographs to bring the past to life. The narrative feels deeply personal and shows how war affected ordinary people as much as political leaders or military generals.
Written with sensitivity and depth, India in the Second World War: An Emotional History is moving and thought provoking. It will appeal to history enthusiasts and to readers who want to understand how emotions influence collective memory. Gupta ensures that India’s wartime stories are not treated as side notes but as a vital part of global history.
A compelling, humane, and necessary re-examination of India’s role in the Second World War, told through the voices and feelings of its people.
