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Second World War Sandwich
April 1944: The Imperial Japanese Army lays siege to a tiny British garrison in the remote town of Kohima, Nagaland, to march further into India, which results in one of the turning points of the Second World War.Among the small group of British troops defending the garrison are four unlikely Captain Timothy Hastings, who, before joining the army, was a tea-estate manager; Raan, a cook turned soldier; Chetri, a courageous Nepalese Gorkha; and Mongseng, a native headhunting warrior, who unwittingly becomes a part of the British imperial forces. Fighting for their lives amidst the battle, the four of them are left questioning the human cost of war.In Second World War Sandwich, Digonta Bordoloi crafts a thrilling novel that burns with intensity and unpacks the lesser-known Naga story of one of the most brutal wars in modern history.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 4, 2021
14 people want to read
About the author
Digonta Bordoloi
3 books8 followersDigonta Bordoloi grew up in the North East of India. In his early twenties, career dreams took him first to Delhi, then to Mumbai where he spent over a decade in the advertising industry. Escaping the corporate world, he landed up in Africa. After some time in Uganda, Digonta lived for a while in Swaziland and Zanzibar, Tanzania, where he started writing Slow in 2009; his first novel. Digonta lives with his wife Susie, and they call Australia and India home.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 3 reviews
June 27, 2021
India's involvement in the Second World War is a topic seldom touched upon by popular culture, be it films or literature. This despite the fact that more than two million (twenty lakh, as we say it here in India) of her sons of soil went into battle, the largest volunteer force in the war. It has not suited the international narrative, dominated by the Americans and the British, to highlight India's contribution, nor has it been in line with Independent India's thoughts, fight as these men did under the Union Jack, symbol of an oppressive, murderous regime.
Recently, however, there has been a slight shift, at least in the West. In 2013, Britain's National Army Museum conducted a poll on the greatest battle fought by their country: the battles fought at Waterloo and in Normandy were pipped by cities not well known in the world, Imphal and Kohima, where the Japanese faced their first reverses in the East, reverses they never recovered from.
Digonta Bordoloi has chosen the latter of the battles against which to set his novel Second World War Sandwich, so titled, I presume, because of its characters. There's Mongseng, a Konyak Naga warrior who becomes embroiled in the battle as part of a literal quest; then there's Subedar Chhetri, VCO in of the detachment under Captain Hastings - "Tom", a tea-estate manager-turned-officer, as well as the rather aptly-named Raan, Tom's cook-cum-batman. The worlds of these four men become one when the Japanese launch an attack from their overextended Burmese frontline.
Second World War Sandwich fails to live up to the idea behind it. Mongseng is a fully-realised character, and there is a wealth of life to be opened up to through him; the same cannot be said for the others: Tom is still relatively better off, but Raan, perhaps the second-most intriguing character, is sloppily written, and Chhetri seems to be an afterthought.
Bordoloi's greatest success is in bringing out the traditions and culture of one of Nagaland's oldest indigenous tribes, as well as his examination of colonisation on these people. This, and Mongseng himself, are the highlights of this disappointing venture.
The writing sways between vivid and evocative to startlingly basic, and the narrative feels stretched, making the book a bit of a challenge to get through.
The edition I read also had a few appalling typographical errors, unforgivable in my book, especially when the book is by a publisher of repute.
If there was a way to single out just Mongseng's story from the book for people to read, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. Since that isn't the case, I'm a tad bit cautious.
Recently, however, there has been a slight shift, at least in the West. In 2013, Britain's National Army Museum conducted a poll on the greatest battle fought by their country: the battles fought at Waterloo and in Normandy were pipped by cities not well known in the world, Imphal and Kohima, where the Japanese faced their first reverses in the East, reverses they never recovered from.
Digonta Bordoloi has chosen the latter of the battles against which to set his novel Second World War Sandwich, so titled, I presume, because of its characters. There's Mongseng, a Konyak Naga warrior who becomes embroiled in the battle as part of a literal quest; then there's Subedar Chhetri, VCO in of the detachment under Captain Hastings - "Tom", a tea-estate manager-turned-officer, as well as the rather aptly-named Raan, Tom's cook-cum-batman. The worlds of these four men become one when the Japanese launch an attack from their overextended Burmese frontline.
Second World War Sandwich fails to live up to the idea behind it. Mongseng is a fully-realised character, and there is a wealth of life to be opened up to through him; the same cannot be said for the others: Tom is still relatively better off, but Raan, perhaps the second-most intriguing character, is sloppily written, and Chhetri seems to be an afterthought.
Bordoloi's greatest success is in bringing out the traditions and culture of one of Nagaland's oldest indigenous tribes, as well as his examination of colonisation on these people. This, and Mongseng himself, are the highlights of this disappointing venture.
The writing sways between vivid and evocative to startlingly basic, and the narrative feels stretched, making the book a bit of a challenge to get through.
The edition I read also had a few appalling typographical errors, unforgivable in my book, especially when the book is by a publisher of repute.
If there was a way to single out just Mongseng's story from the book for people to read, I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. Since that isn't the case, I'm a tad bit cautious.
April 25, 2021
What I liked is the emotive angle, the eco-friendly tribal way of life where Nature is the provider and the taker, the bonds that surpass man-made borders. There are many truths in the book such as some bonds last only till the situation lasts, there is no future. Each one longs for a home and a family and a community of their own. The vicious cycle of power and greed ruins everything. And how we ought to felicitate our lives, harbour genuine relationships and not get obsessed by physical objects. The language is rich. The details are fascinating and the gory of war spelt out. The glory of peace and return to the roots is pretty real too. Calamities change hearts and minds. and the message of learning and evolving is clear too.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 3 reviews