Battles of Kohima and Imphal - Indian Apathy

The New York Times recently published an article on the 70th Anniversary of the Battles of Kohima and Imphal - now the capital cities of the states of Nagaland and Manipur on India's northeastern border.  The battles were critical - if lost, the Japanese would have invaded India.  They were on our doorstep!

The defeat is acknowledged by Japan as its worst ever while, in a recent survey, the battles beat out Waterloo and D-Day as Britain's greatest military triumph!  Japan suffered more than 60,000 casualties; most were the result of starvation, disease and exhaustion; in comparison, British and Indian forces lost around 17,000 men. 

The article mentioned the lack of official Indian enthusiasm to celebrate the victory.  By the same token, New Delhi is failing to acknowledge the sacrifice made in terms of Indian lives lost.  We should remember those who died preventing a Japanese invasion.

Perhaps the Indian Government is ambiguous about celebrating the anniversaries of WWII battles because Indian soldiers fought under the British flag.  

Indians in fact fought on both sides.  Indian National Army (INA) leader, Subhash Chandra Bose, is said to have had a strained relationship with the then Indian leadership (Gandhi, Nehru, Patel) who disapproved of his tactics and his alliances with the Nazis and Japanese.

Honour the Deaths of Indians in WWII

India should overcome its doubts, honour its war dead and ensure they are remembered in the same manner as the other Allied powers do.  If not for the British and Indian forces who foiled the attack, the Japanese invasion of India was a very real possibility; they had already occupied the Andamans and committed terrible atrocities there.

According to researchers, during the three and a half years of Japanese occupation of India's Andaman Islands (situated midway between the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean), 30,000 of the 40,000 population of the capital city, Port Blair, were brutally murdered.  In a later incident and because food and water were scarce, the civilian population was bayoneted, beheaded and their remains burnt to ashes to erase all traces of the massacre.  Much of this happened just hours ahead of the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945.

Gallipoli is a Good Example

New Delhi should prepare for Australian, European and Japanese visitors who would come to Kohima and Imphal if anniversary events were organised and the requisite infrastructure put in place, such as, renovated hotels, roads, bus depots, train stations, and airports; well-maintained battlefields and museums; and organised tours.

India would also need to promote these arrangements - respectfully - just as Turkey does in Gallipoli, site of the 1915-16 WWI campaign in the Dardanelles, Turkey (then the Ottoman Empire) in which the Allies were crushed.  

Thousands of Australians and Kiwis along with British and French make the pilgrimage to Gallipoli every year (throughout the year - not just on the anniversary) to honour their countrymen and family members who died there.  More than 1,400 British Indian troops also lost their lives but are barely mentioned by tour guides.  The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) maintains the graves and memorials at Gallipoli. 

Next year (2015) is the 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli and Turkey is pushing ahead for a major ceremony.  There are so many visitors expected that one's name must be drawn in a lottery in order to attend! 

Think of the income and local jobs this generates for Turkey!  If the infrastructure was established in India, national and local vendors as well as tourist businesses could experience the same economic boost while the general population would acquire more knowledge of and pride in India's history on an international level.

Partner with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The countries locally involved in the Battles of Kohima and Imphal (India, Bangladesh and Myanmar) should figure this out with the help of the CWGC as well as battlefield administrators and tour operators from important WWII battlefields (e.g., Normandy and Dunkirk).  

India already has CWGC-maintained war cemeteries and cremation memorials in Kohima and Imphal; Bangladesh also has war cemeteries in Mainamati and Chittagong.

According to the same New York Times article, because of the region’s longtime isolation, the battlefields of Kohima and Imphal are well preserved and clearly visible with trenches, bunkers and airfields.  Despite the passage of 70 years, they are in very good condition.

War Museum and Chapel

In the US, battle enactments are a major attraction for visitors and tourists. These include campaigns from the War of Independence, the Civil War and War of 1812.  I used to think it hokey until I realised that this is a serious occupation for war buffs, military historians and descendants of soldiers who participated in those battles. It is a way of honouring the dead and keeping their memories alive as well as teaching history more creatively and imaginatively to young people. 

Singapore's Changi Museum is a great example of how to organise and dedicate a war museum. Through letters, drawings, photos and personal artefacts, the museum chronicles the courage and heroism of POWs and civilian internees. The Changi Chapel on the premises is a place of pilgrimage for veterans and families of former POWs.  India would do well to use Singapore's Changi War Museum and Chapel as examples of what can (tastefully and respectfully) be done. 

Ludi.

Singapore, August 27, 2014

Text and Photos from my iPad

War Memorials, Gallipoli, Turkey; 
Google Maps of Kohima, Imphal