India in the Second World War: An Emotional History

Dr Diya Gupta explores the multifaceted history of India during the Second World War through the emotions experienced by Indian people both in service and at home.

The 1940s was a turbulent decade in India as revolutionary and nationalistic feeling surged in the midst of the Second World War.

Around 2.5 million men served in the British Indian Army during the conflict. Some fought far from home; others were tasked with defending India from the threat of Japanese invasion. Meanwhile, 3 million were killed by the Bengal Famine and the Indian independence movement gathered speed.    

In this special talk to mark the release of her new book, Dr Diya Gupta will bring to life the emotional landscape of the period, drawing on primary sources to highlight the varied emotions felt by Indians in service and at home during the war.

In conversation with Dr Nicole Hartwell, Dr Gupta will narrate a global history of the Second World War, revealing the vital importance of cultural approaches to furthering our understanding of the wartime experience. 

About the speakers

Dr Diya Gupta

Dr Diya Gupta is a literary and cultural historian, and Lecturer in Public History at City, University of London. Formerly a 'Past and Present' Fellow at the Royal Historical Society and Institute of Historical Research, she takes multilingual approaches to life-writing, visual culture and literature in relation to war.

Dr Nicole Hartwell

Dr Nicole Hartwell is the inaugural National Army Museum Fellow in Indian Military History at Selwyn College Cambridge. She specialises in the history of colonial warfare in Africa and India.