Calcutta under Fire

by David Lockwood

December 1942: Calcutta is bombed by the Japanese Air Force. In the ensuing panic, one and a half million flee the almost defenceless city. The Japanese, having stormed through Malaya, Singapore and Burma, appears unstoppable—and on their way to India. David Lockwood investigates the reactions and plans of the Congress, the British and the Indian National Army (ina), concluding that the episode revealed a good deal about plans for India after the war, the impossibility of the ina’s military solution, and that it was a part of the transition of the Indian state from the British to the Congress.

Genres: India

304 pages, Paperback

Published January 20, 2019

About the author

David Lockwood, changed the way British sociologists view and study class with groundbreaking books such as The Blackcoated Worker (1958). Researching the class consciousness of clerical staff from the mid-19th century onwards, he found that they saw themselves as "of different clay" to manual workers. Clerks had greater job security, different workplace experiences and a sense of superiority (encapsulated by the black coats they wore). The book was a rebuke to those on the left who criticised clerks for having a "false consciousness" – failing to realise that they had the same interests as manual workers. It showed that, far from being self-deceiving, clerks did in fact have a unique class position.

Lockwood's approach to class was hugely influential, with researchers subsequently applying it to the study of several different occupations, from coalminers and shipbuilders to farm workers and farmers.
http://www.theguardian.com/education/...

Reviews

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

1942 was a landmark year in terms of political and military changes, especially in East Asia. Japan, which had entered World War II spectacularly by bombing Pearl Harbour in December 1941, had—within less than a year—successfully invaded Malaya, Hong Kong, Singapore and Burma. In each of these territories, the defending (and now defeated) forces had been the British. With the Japanese occupying Burma, sitting literally on the doorstep of India, it was unsurprising that by late 1942, fears of a Japanese invasion of India, or at least of its eastern and coastal stretches, should be widespread.

Yet, there were other factors to be considered. Political, social, and military factors, and factors regarding less tangible ideas, such as the need to save face, or to put up a brave front. There was the Indian national movement, there was the growing doubt among many Britishers themselves regarding the future of India as part of the Empire. There was the (natural, given what had happened in Burma and elsewhere) fear among Indians that the British would be incapable of defending India against the Japanese.

David Lockwood, in Calcutta Under Fire: The Second World War Years, examines all of these and more in an attempt to explain the circumstances and events that shaped India during World War II, especially around the tumultuous year of 1942, when the Japanese bombed Calcutta and sent thousands fleeing the city in panic.

But merely looking at the Japanese bombing of Calcutta in isolation would not make a complete book, so Lockwood instead spreads his net wide to encompass events, ideologies, movements, policies and more. He examines the theory of hegemony as an intrinsic part of British imperialism, and from there goes on to discuss how the Congress’s policies were tailored towards a counter-hegemony. There is a detailed discussion of how the Congress’s policies underwent changes (and how there were schisms within the Congress itself); of the work the Congress did to mobilise the general populace in what was essentially a counter-hegemonistic movement; of the role played by radio (including the Congress’s illegal, underground radio broadcasts as well as Subhash Chandra Bose’s broadcasts from Berlin); and of rising discontent and nationalism among the Indians in the British Indian military and civil services.

The final picture is a complex but intriguing one of the different forces that not only shaped India in 1942, but which eventually led to independence. Lockwood manages to present interesting insights into the considerations that made the British, the Congress, and the general Indian public (both urban as well as rural) act as they did.

Lockwood’s research is extensive (he even manages to present the Japanese side of it: did they really intend to invade India and make it part of a Japanese Empire?). There are some delightful bits of trivia, too (the thought of an impending Japanese invasion seems to have encouraged some Indians, who looked on the approaching Japanese armies more as liberators than conquerors, to take some very surprising steps, such as learning Japanese). While Lockwood’s style of writing may at times seem more geared towards an academic audience than a layperson, the book is an invaluable resource for understanding India during World War II.

(From my review for The New Indian Express: http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifes...)

[Reethu Ravi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calcutta Under Fire by David Lockwood examines the political strategy and warfare in 1942 Bengal, amid a possible Japanese invasion. It attempts to find answers for questions such as - how would the British react to an invasion of Bengal and the surrounding areas? What would the Congress do in the face of possible British retreat and Japanese occupation?

For better understanding, the book touches upon a few events prior to and post 1942. The book begins with the bombing of Calcutta on December 20,1942. While the official reaction was sanguine, reportedly, one and a half million people fled the city. The aftermath was a clear reflection that the government was not well prepared for the possibility of war.

The book then sheds light on the Indian National Congress' counter-hegemonic strategy as opposed to the semi-hegemonic British India. It briefly touches upon events like the Salt March and the 1935 Government of India Act, before proceeding through why Indians and Europeans alike thought that a Japanese invasion was very real and what the British intended to do if an invasion did occur.

Lockwood details about the changes in Congress' policies, the rifts within the party, and how it mobilized the public, among others. And a particularly interesting chapter was how radio was used to mobilize people.

Through his analysis, Lockwood concludes that the Japanese invasion says much about the plans for India after the war and that it was a part of the transition of the Indian state from the British to the Congress.

The book is quite insightful, giving the readers a glimpse of India during World War II and what actions the major stakeholders - the British and the Indian National Congress - took. While I quite liked the author's approach to the book in terms of the outlining of events, the book could have been much more precise.

At many places, it dragged on, often with too many references, which made me lose interest. Further, the author's writing leaned towards an academic style of writing, which further made it a slightly difficult read. However, this book is an important read for anyone who wishes to know more about India, and in particular, Bengal during World War II.

[Shriya Dasgupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Second World War was the most important phase in the history of India as well as the world. Calcutta Under Fire explores the different political and humanitarian aspects when Kolkata was affected by the war and the Japanese ironically sided with INA led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Among fake propagandas and paranoia created by the British, it is the common people who had to flee for their lives.

The book describes the war-time in details including how window panes were painted black to avoid being bombed. It also talks about the Congress beginning with its resignation from the ministry as a mark of protest for involving India in the war without consulting them. Interestingly, it gives an insight into the freedom struggle of India and the different conflicts between several groups and their ideologies.

However, even for a sucker of non-fiction like me who’s born and brought up in Calcutta hearing stories of the Second World War from my grandparents, I found the book to be slightly dry and academic in nature. I believe it would mostly be of interest to students of history or politics.

[Suraj Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]


Calcutta Under Fire presents an account of what all underwent in India during the second Word War. It records the reactions of various stakeholders- mainly the colonial power of British and the Indian National Congress. Bombing of Calcutta and the possibility of a Japanese Invasion serves as the axis around which the whole book revolves.

The book opens with how the bombing took everyone off the guard and the ensuing chaos and the general atmosphere of uncertainty that engulfed the common people. Before focusing on the responses and strategies of the British, Indian and Japanese, the author establishes a background setting.

David Lockwood employs Antonio Gramsci's concept of Hegemony and Counter-hegemony to elucidate the equation of the British with the Indian National Congress (INC). I enjoyed reading this section of the book most. The rest of the book deals with the formulations of strategies by both the parties, the negotiations that took place between the two, the consequent results and how they came to affect the whole scenario.



The author very well traces the dilemma of the British and the rift within the Congress and the ultimate interaction between the various forces. The book certainly offers several insights and is quite informative. It is well-suited for beginners (in this subject, like me) who have very little knowledge of what underwent. The author has dealt with the subject quite well and in a lucid manner.

Despite the book succeeding in its purpose, I had some issues with the book, which irked me throughout the book. The author has given a lot of space to what different people had to say on matters of concern. Of course this is done to emphasize certain points but he does this to a great extent. Almost 30% (perhaps even more) of the text comprises of quotations. Each chapter has about 70-90 footnotes, which I feel is way more than what is actually required.

Further I feel the author should have also included what political forces other than INC had to say. There is very little of the communist party and nothing about any other Indian political force. I also felt (though I might be wrong) that the author had an inclination towards the INC and was in a way trying to glorify it for the decisions it made.

All in all, I feel the author could have managed, very well, to say what he had to say in about 200 pages only, with less references to other works and other people. I would have definitely enjoyed the book more. The whole chapter on the radio, in my view, could have been kept out. Nevertheless it was interesting to read how radio transmissions were used a tool.

My Rating: *** (3/5)

-Orginially published on https://booksnmyself.wordpress.com

[Sapthagiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fire That Mattered!

Indian Independence Struggle has got so many significant stories that are not widely publicised. One such is this book that details out the importance of Calcutta as a strategic location and after effects of a light Air Raid from Japan.
Contradicting perceptions of Japanese attack on India by British India & Indian National Congress paves way for the ultimate exit of British.
A Prati Sarkar (parallel government), nyanya mandals (people’s courts) and resistance to scorched earth policy implies the fading British rule. Indian Independence League (IIL), founded by the veteran Indian revolutionary, Rash Behari Bose aimed in infusing patriotism amongst the Indian soldiers serving outside India played a very critical part in the Independence movement.
The role played by Radio(AIR, Tokyo Radio, Congress Radio, Azad Hind Radio) in terms of arousing patriotism and also anti-nationalism.
It's always helpful to know the history as we learn a lot of lessons from it.