India During WWII

Much of the plot of Venkatramans novel is based on real events that happened to her grandparents and other family.Vidya lived during World War 2 and her brother enlisted in the army to fight Hitler and all the evil around him. Kitta was part of the largest volunteer force, that beat the numbers of all the volunteer troups of any other country. India's force had a major impact on the war; and they managed to invade and bomb Japanese troups in many countries such as Italy and Burma.

Although they fought many Japanese, they couldn't escape the wrath of their forces, and the damages of their invasion are still available today. In the novel, all the women had to evacuate the city of Madras since the Japanese started bombing and taking control of India's coasts. Venkatramans family actually went through this ordeal.

During this time, India was also fighting for its freedom from the British. Ghandi was a major leader, who advocated peaceful protesting. Vidya's father believed in Ghandiji's teachings, and was also part of the peaceful protest movement, but this eventually lead to his brain injuries and inability to continue in the movement, let alone care for his family. Ghandi as well was hurt by the British, although his injuries were fatal, but his ideas and movement led to India's eventual freedom.

Although the novel is pure fiction, some events really happened, and I'm glad that Venkatraman brought attention to India's role in World War 2, as well as India's fight for freedom.


Indian Troops crossing Irawadda River in Burma:



Mohandas Ghandi: