Halting the Japanese Tide: Failure of Subhas B0se

BATTLES AT IMPHAL AND KOHIMA: FAILURE OF BOSE AND THE INA

The Indian National Army  was made up off captured Indian POWs. These prisoners were given the option of freedom and joining the INA. Bose himself addressed many POW camps and appealed to the POWs to side with the Japanese and join the INA. Unfortunately, not many POWs joined the INA. A reading of the autobiography of Lt General  Harbaksh Singh is quite revealing. He was taken a POW by the Imperial army as a Captain in Burma. He was promised a promotion and freedom, in case he joined the INA. Harbaksh refused to join the INA, though one of his colleagues Captain Mohan Singh joined the INA and was made a General. Harbaksh goes on to  add that not many POWs joined the INA.

What was the strength of the INA? This point is glossed over by most persons who trumpet about the activities of the INA. The fact is that the INA was never more than 40,000. This is just about 2 divisions and in contrast to the British Indian Army, where Indians numbered 2.5 million can be considered minuscule.

Obviously you cannot win a war with just 40,000 soldiers. Hence the bulk of the fighting in Burma was done by the Imperial army which captured Rangoon and pushed the British Indian army to the gates of India.

In 1944, the Japanese army surrounded Kohima and also converged on Imphal. The British were aware that in case these two cities fell to the Imperial army, the gates of India would be opened. They were vary of the effect of Subhas Bose, who carried on a relentless propaganda  asking the Indian soldiers with the British Indian army to desert their posts and join the Japanese. In fact, the Japanese also relied on Bose to convince the Indian soldiers of the 8th Army to switch sides.

Here is the dichotomy and the failure of Bose. Field Marshal Viscount Lord William Slim the commander of the 8th army had specially selected Sikhs, Jats, Rajput, Gurkhas and Punjabi Muslims  for the battle against the Japanese. He was confident that there would be no  defections and he was proved right. Not a single Indian soldier switched sides and all fought for the crown and king. I am sure this must have exasperated Bose, whose dream came crumbling down.

The Indian soldiers of the British Indian army entrenched themselves and faced the Japanese.  There was bitter hand to hand fighting, but the Indian front line held firm. They were surrounded by the Imperial army and had to be supplied by air by the RAF and the RIAF. This battle is no less important than the Battle of Stalingrad, yet Western historians  give greater glory to  Stalingrad. One reason could be that they did not want to publicize the glory of the Indian army which held the Imperial army at bay for many months. 

Despite all the propaganda broadcasts and leaflets thrown on the Indian troops by Bose and Japanese, to join the INA failed. The Indian soldiers remained loyal to their English officers. This was the most brutal part of the war and the Japanese used to easy victories in China and Indo-China were thwarted. The Japanese Commander in Chief was surprised and soon the Japanese soldiers began to lose heart. The 8th army was further beefed up. By end 1944 they broke the Japanese siege. The Japanese were pushed back and the Sikh and Jat troops broke the back of the Japanese army. 

From all accounts this was a great setback to Bose. It was clear that his appeals did not cut ice with Indian soldiers. Historians must analyze as to why the India soldiers did not defect and remained loyal to the English.  This  is a fact of history for which I have no answer. 

The Japanese failed at the gates of India. Perhaps their easy victories earlier were a flash in the pan. They could not could not break the resolve of the British Indian troops. The Japanese were  pushed back and began a headlong retreat.  The British Indian army captured Mandalay and Rangoon. At its peak the British Indian army had 2.5 million Indian men under arms. The officer cadre  was almost 95% pure English. In contrast Bose could just about gather 40,000 men. This is another fact that needs to be evaluated. Why could  not Bose attract more Indians to his cause.?

History is unforgiving, but facts cannot be kept  under wraps and have an uncanny knack of appearing at the wrong time. The facts of the INA are out. In my view it was a brave outfit, but too small a force to effect a result. Even if the Japanese had won at Kohima and Imphal, Bose would have remained a small time player. This  is not a reflection on the caliber of Bose , but on the character of the Indians. .

Subhas Bose was a very brave man, but the  Indian psyche  let him own. But he did have an effect and in the sum total the British got worried that if 40,000 men could join Bose, more may revolt against them later.The Royal Inian Navy  mutiny of 1946, by 20000 sailors put the seal on their assessment that their days were over. This was  admitted by Clement Attlee in his interview after he retired.

Bose was a great man, but at the crucial point during World War II he was let down by Indians themselves.  The Indian nation missed a great opportunity  of throwing out the English at that time.

Good Eating Joint in Abu dhabi: Lal Qila Restaurant

Lal Qila Restaurant in Abu Dhabi is a Great Place to Dine

 

Abu Dhabi is a place that has wonderful eating joints and restaurants. The entire city is a gourmet’s paradise and more particularly in case you are fond of Pakistani or North West Indian food than nothing beats Abu Dhabi. One of the finest places to dine is the Lal Qila located in the heart of the capital city. I understand the eating joint is owned by a Pakistani from Lahore and excellent looking Muslim girls in traditional Indian and Pakistani dresses serve and attend to you. There is also a poet from Lahore who recites some beautiful Urdu couplets and regales the customers.

The restaurant serves only buffet meals and has one of the most lavish spreads one can think of. The fare on display to taste and savor consists of over a 100 dishes covering Indian, Pakistani and Chinese food. It’s one of the most elaborate spreads i have come across anywhere in the world. The food is exceptional and one can spend a fair amount of time eating and listening to the Urdu couplets. The only drawback is that beer and alcohol are not served. Frankly one doesn't mind this as the foo is so sumptuous that beer can take a back seat

The meal can set you back by 100 dirhams per head, but overall is a wonderful place to dine on the best food available in Abu Dhabi.

Wedding to a Female spirit : The Chudiyal

Marrying a “Chudiyal” or Evil Spirit

A Chudiyal in Indian folklore is an evil spirit who can take the form of a beautiful woman. The Chudiyal is part of Hindu mythology and denotes a woman evil spirit who has been denied entry into the spirit world for some terrible crime like child murder or killing of husband. Such spirits are destined to roam the human world and frequently meet men, who are their target. Such spirits will even marry a man and then at the appropriate time kill him. In the villages of India there are many tales of such woman spirits marrying men. Most people who relate these tales swear an oath that they are true. Perhaps there is an element of truth in it as the spirit world has not yet been explored by man and science.

The first time I heard the tale of a Chudiyal was when I was very young. I had gone to my village and my uncle related a bizarre tale. He said that there was a lonely bachelor in the village, who wanted to marry. One day while walking along one of the mountain paths he espied a most lovely and enticing lady crying. She told the man that she had been banished from home by her father and had no place to go. Smitten by her beauty, the man brought the woman home and married her. But a peculiar aspect of his life began to make the man wonder. The woman asked for no firewood and this intrigued him greatly. One day he decided to decipher the mystery and came home early. He peeped through the window and saw the woman having her leg aflame and using it for firewood by thrusting it in place of a log inside the Chula or stove.

This frightened the man greatly and when he came home and the woman lay down with him, he began to perspire with fear. There was a lamp some distance away and the lady asked him to smother the flame. He just lay and wondered what to do. The woman laughed and suddenly elongated her leg and with a swish of her feet extinguished the flame. Seeing this man ran out of the house saying a Chudiyal had entered his house. All the villagers collected and a soothsayer was called. He told the gathering that the lady inside the house was a Chudiyal and she would kill the man. Reciting mantras the soothsayer went inside the house and by extra sensory powers and mantras ousted the Chudiyal who ran away naked from the house into the woods.

Tales of Chudiuyal’s abound in India and one wonders whether there is an element of truth in them. Maybe some authentic research is called for.

Another Facet of Hinduism : Demons * 69

Introducing the ‘Demons’ in Hinduism

The demon is a popular word and there is not a man or woman who would have heard about it. In Hinduism also demons are part of the religion. Concept of Demons in Hinduism is not as in the Christain religion. In Christianity the concept of the Demon is associated with Satan. In Hinduism the concept of Demon is antithesis of God. There is no presiding deity like Lucifer or Satan and mostly the demons are a leaderless lot.

Islam also has its fair share of demons that are known as ‘Jinn’s’. These are supernatural beings with evil powers. In Islam the leader of the “jinn’s” is Iblis or Satan.Some of the Hindu demons are discussed below.

Virabhadra

Many classify this deity as a god as well, because he has temples dedicated to him. However he is a Demon as he was created by Shiva the foremost Hindu deity to fight against Daksha. Virabhadra is a patron of occult practices and weird beliefs are associated with his name.

Andhaka

Andhaka was the third son of Shiva. Legend relates that Andhaka was created from a tear of the lord Shiva, but he angered the god as he lusted for Shiva’s consort Parvati. Shiva thus killed him

Kali

Kali is a goddess but she also represents the dark nature of life. She is in reality a form of the goddess Shakti (who was Shiva’s consort). She is an angry form of god but many do not recognize her as a demon.
Kali is a homonym (Kali: Goddess; Kali: a real demon), thus”Kali” represents the Kali Yuga the evil age that is now dawned on the world in that respect she is a Demon.

Koka and Vikoka

The Goddess Kali had twin sons named Koka and Vikola. These twins are considered demons as they represent wars and battles. They are present whenever war is fought and also instigate war and misery.

Vinayakas

Vinayakas are a group of four troublesome demons who create obstacles. The group of four Vinayakas was merged into one deity named Vinayaka whom Rudra appointed as the “Leader of the Ganas”. Ancient Puranik literature refers to these demons.

Vetala

This kind of demon resides in dead bodies. It is indestructible and he often confronts the living man

Pishacha

These Demons eat raw meats and Pishacha is a carnivorous demon. But the origin of this demon is shrouded in mystery and not much is known about it.

Bhuta

Bhuta is a kind of bad soul of a human being who dies by suicide or by execution. It is a demon who takes form after an unnatural death.

Conclusion

In the Hindu mythology, there are many demons. Again sometimes the dividing line between demon and god in Hinduism is very thin like the goddess kali. In addition Hinduism also mentions rakshasas and asuras who are also demons.

My Days in Madras: Fond Memories * 71

I joined duty at the Flying instructors school at Tambaram.  Incidentally Air Force Station Tambaram is one of the oldest Air Forcestations of India and the Flying Instructors School is the home of flying. It is here that air force pilots of the IAF are trained to be Instructors, who will teach flying to the trainee cadets.

After joining duty as a youngster, my CO handed me a form and said “Fill it up MG, it for membership of the Madras Gymkhana club”. I duly filled up and became a member of the Madras Gymkhana club and I have relished its membership for decades.  We worked from 6 am in the morning to about 12 noon when we were free.  On most days, I and my friend would take our Royal Enfield Motorcycles (It was a present from my father on my passing out from the Air Force academy) and head for town. The drive was 29 km and the road excellent.

The best days were Saturdays when we had the weekly dance and believe me we from the Air Force got willing partners. We would dance and drink till the early hours of the morning and then some of the girls, daughters from the elite families from Chennai would be dropped home by us.  This was perhaps the most glorious time of my bachelorhood. About the Gymkhana club; it traces its pedigree to 1884 when it was launched by Brig General Johnson of the British Indian army and from that time defence officers are given membership straight away. For civilians it’s a pain to become a member and there is common talk that Shivaji Ganesan tried for 3 decades to be made a member and failed.

There is also a lovely golf course at Guindy where I learnt to play. But at that time Golf was not on my agenda as I had work to do and I preferred to go to the Gymkhana club. There was also a lovely pool and most of the girls stripped down after 8 pm and swam. I with my friend to whom I was attached also lazed in the pool.

Sometimes after a late light we never came back and stayed in the club rooms on payment of course. Madras also had lovely cinemas and shopping complexes and one relished taking a walk around Mount Road. Lovely beaches too and I loved the Adyar beach where I had so many rollicking parties on the sand at night. There was also the Connemara hotel with a lovely disco and we made it a point to hit that joint, for the simple reason my date loved it, though I am not much of a foot stomper.

Frankly never went to any of the temples at Chennai, but I loved going to Burmah bazaar with its array of small shops selling imported stuff. This was on a premium and I remember I bought a VCR and an instant Polaroid camera from there.

My friend took me home, a palatial home at T Nager and I got introduced to the family. They were curious of the IAF and flying. But the mother of my friend was scared and asked “what if the plane crashes?”

I liked the Zoo, the Madras beach station and the Marina. What a long and lovely beach. I remember eating at Sea Buhari there for dinners.  Dinner was a pleasure on the terrace with the sea breeze enveloping you. It was all so romantic.  You could get very good north Indian food in Chennai.

Above all the people were friendly and it was a wrench to leave Chennai and my friend. I was transferred to Baghdogra in North Bengal and like a true soldier I left. But the memories of Chennai haunt me even now and I still go very often there. It’s a wonderful place. All credit to the Air Force that took me there, helped me find friends, gave me an elite status and started an association that goes on even noe

Military Law in India: Concurrent Jurisdiction

Statutory Law: Concurrent Jurisdiction As Defined in Military Law in India Vs the Civil Laws

Madan Singh

The word jurisdiction is derived from the Latin language, where Juris means “law”. In real terms it means the practical authority to a court to try an offender under the laws of the land. Section 71 of the Air Force Act 1950 and corresponding section of the Army act lays down the principle of concurrent jurisdiction. In case of dispute the matter is to be referred to the Central Government

Indian military law was codified during the days of the Raj by the British government Similarly the civil laws led by the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code also trace their genesis to the days of the Raj. After India gained independence in 1947, in substance except for some minor amendments the laws enacted by the British have re issued by the Indian parliament.

In India a soldier or airman in addition to the laws of the land is also subject to the Military code `epitomised by the Army Act 1950 and the Air Force Act 1950. Thus a question can well arise as to which court, the civil or the military has jurisdiction over a person subject to military law for a crime committed under the IPC.

The word jurisdiction is derived from the Latin language, where Juris means “law”. In real terms it means the practical authority to a court to try an offender under the laws of the land. Section 71 of the Air Force Act 1950 and corresponding section of the Army act lays down the principle of concurrent jurisdiction. This section says that a person subject the Army act or Air Force act will be tried by a military court (Court martial or summary disposal) for all crimes committed under the Air Force and Army Act. The section further states that a person subject to the act and accused under the Indian Penal code will also be tried by a Military court unless for reasons of administrative convenience (Like being co-accused with civilians) he cannot be tried by a Court martial or summary disposal of Charges.

 Section 72 of the act also mentions that there could be a difference of opinion between the magistrate and the military authorities as to the jurisdiction to try a particular offence.  In such a case the matter will be referred to the Central Government whose decision will be final and binding on both parties. The act and section of military law further specifies that an act of rape, culpable homicide or culpable homicide not amounting to murder will not be tried by a military court but only by a civil court, unless the crime is against a person subject to military law. This is a severe limitation and means that for crimes of rape and murder a service personal will be tried by a civil court unless the charge of rape or murder is against a person who is also a serviceman and subject to the act.

Indian Arms Act 1877: How the British Disarmed the Indians

Gun Control and Indian Arms Act 1877 During the Days of the Raj

Madan Singh

The arms act of 1877 was the first gun control law in India. On the face it looked reasonable, but in practice getting an arms license was a tedious process for an Indian. This law made it mandatory for any Indian wishing to own a gun to obtain a license for it. An unlicensed gun was punishable with a fine and imprisonment up to 3 years. Thus in one blow the British restricted the ownership of guns during the days of the Raj.

The British Raj popularly referred to as just ‘the Raj’ is generally accepted as the period from 1858 to 1947. This was the period when India came directly under the rule of the crown and Queen Victoria by a proclamation in 1858 took over as Empress of Hindustan. The rule by the East India Company lapsed after this proclamation. This was a direct consequence of the mutiny of 1857-58 when Indian sepoys and some rulers had revolted against East India Company rule.

The Mutiny  was crushed and the British now turned their attention to governing this vast nation of 250 million people. Before 1857 there was no gun control law in India. Any Indian could own any weapon of any caliber. After the mutiny things changed as the British decided that the time had come to restrict Indians from owning weapons and hence the first seeds of arms control were sowed.

The Viceroy appointed a committee which concluded that local Indians should have restricted access to arms and weapons. It however made an exception in the case of Anglo Indians and British rulers who were free to own weapons. The gun license was introduced to restrict Indians from owning weapons.

In 1877 the Indian arms act was promulgated and it remained in force till  1959.  The arms act was made applicable to all areas under direct British rule but Indian states which were independent, though they accepted British sovereignty did not come under the purview of this act. These states like Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad were however advised to restrict issue of guns to local Indians and they duly complied.

 The arms act of 1877 was the first gun control law in India. On the face it looked reasonable, but in practice getting an arms license was a tedious process for an Indian. This law made it mandatory for any Indian wishing to own a gun to obtain a license for it. An unlicensed gun was punishable with a fine and imprisonment up to 3 years. Thus in one blow the British restricted the ownership of guns during the days of the Raj.

 The act of 1877 brought in a system where the issue of discretion was introduced and an application for a gun license could be rejected by the government for any reason. All Indians wishing to own guns were to follow the following steps
a)    Apply to the local District magistrate(DM) for a license
b)    The reason as to why a license was applied and a gun needed was also to be mentioned
c)     It was also required to mention the names of 2 local Indians who could vouchsafe for the character of the applicant.

The DM was required to forward this application to the District Superintendent of Police (SP) who would set in motion a police verification of the Individual.  The SP was required to forward the report to the DM within 30 days. The DM would then use his discretion to either approve or disapprove an arms license. Generally arms licenses were issued only to rich Indians and those who supported the Raj. Anglo Indians and British men in India were also required theoretically to follow this procedure, but the arms licenses to them were issued immediately.

The Indian arms act of 1877 was successful in controlling proliferation of guns in India and hardly .5% of Indians were issued gun licenses. In a way unbridled owning of guns as protected by the 2^nd amendment in the USA never happened. The British were thus successful in keeping the local Indian population unarmed.