Growth of the Indian Army

FIDELITY AND HONOUR - The Indian Army From the Seventeenth to the Twentyfirst Century: Lt. General S.L. Menezes (Retd); Oxford University Press, ``Oxford House'', 219, Anna Salai, Chennai- 600006. Rs. 350.

BOOKS ABOUT the Indian Army which cover the period from the 18th century are either documentary or only written by British Generals who served in India for sometime.

The book under review covers the entire panorama from the formation of the Sepoy Army in 1757 to the post- Independence conflicts till 1998. The author has traced the growth of the Presidency Armies as they were known before 1858 and the part they played in the British conquest of various areas such as Gorkha domain, the Garhwal Kumaon hills and other states such as Oudh, Mysore, Sikh Kingdom and the Maratha confederacy.

The portrayal of the sepoy battalions and their modifications to suit the regimental system has been amply stressed to show the great bonds between the native soldiers and the British officers.

While writing on the conquest of the Indian Army with the help of the British power, the author has sensitively portrayed the weaknesses due to indifferent leadership, poor administration and even wide disparity between the emoluments of the native sepoy and the British troops.

Without boring details, the book has brought out the disastrous campaigns in Afghanistan which led to large-scale discontentment, loss of life and even major blows to the British senior officers. Particularly the campaign against the Sikhs has been portrayed to bring out the cause of the Sikhs' downfall i.e. lack of unity and treachery on the part of the local chieftains.

However, the British cleverly understood the potential of the Sikhs and the Gorkhas who were recruited in large numbers after the 1857 mutiny and they strengthened the dogma of martial race.

The chapter on the 1857 rebellion is a very interesting portrayal of the genesis of the Sepoy Mutiny and the human angle in various regiments which took part in the armed insurrection.

The author has, in an objective manner, portrayed the various causes of the mutiny which were mainly due to maladministration, lack of understanding and even indifferent British leadership which failed to gauge the mental make-up of the North Indian rural based sepoys. It tends to support the theory that the 1857 mutiny was not a totally nationalist uprising for independence but only a synchronised effort of the army units which lost faith in the British empire and their senior officers.

In addition to this, the book has brought out a number of other local mutinies, insurrections and rebellions spearheaded by state forces and even local brigands like the Pindaris.

The chapters on the period before the First World War have brought out the various organisational changes such as clubbing of regiments, recruitment procedures and field formation with separate administrative set-ups for the cantonments which eventually led to the formation of a modern army just before the Second World War.

The main feature of the book is that it does not carry much details of the various campaigns, both in India and overseas but tries to collect a mosaic of personalities, events and places which brought fame and sometimes even infamy to the Indian troops.

Even the chapter on the Indian National Army has been written with empathy to portray the actual part played by the Indian prisoners of war who were captured in the then Malaya and Singapore.

For the post-Independence period the author has neatly compressed the Indo-Pakistan wars, the counter insurgency campaigns and other major events such as nuclear explosion and the setting up of the National Security Council.

A very readable book which can be appreciated by the common man and those who are interested in Indian history.

Brig. A. THYAGARAJAN (Retd.)

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