True to Their Salt : The British Indian Army and an Alternative History of Decolonization (2025)

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Reviews About Author Reviews Related products Courts and Their Judgments : Premises, Prerequisites, Consequences Dustin Thao Set of 2 Books : When Haru Was Here | You’ve Reached Sam Sriram Balasubramanian Combo Of 2 Books : Dharmanomics | Kautilyanomics Dharma Set Of 4 Books : Hinduism: Challenges (Hardback) | Hinduism – Ritual, Reason and Beyond (Hardback) | The Knowledge in the Vedas (Paperback) | Secret Goddesses of Tantra (Paperback) Demystifying Madrasah And Deobandi Islam: Legacy and History of Darul Uloom Deoband World History 101 What If?: 10th Anniversary Edition Combo Set Of 7 101 Books : Economics 101 | Philosophy 101 | English Lit 101 | Day Trading 101 | Investing 101 | Architecture 101 | World History 101 Crossing Continents: European Explorers and India’s Mysteries Assad From Dubai to Karachi India’s Secret War: BSF and Nine Months to the Birth of Bangladesh Everyday Reading K. Hari Kumar (Combo of 2 Books) : Daiva | Dakini Combo Set Of 7 101 Books : Economics 101 | Philosophy 101 | English Lit 101 | Day Trading 101 | Investing 101 | Architecture 101 | World History 101 Lynn Painter (Combo of 2 Books) : Nothing Like the Movies | Better Than the Movies Courts and Their Judgments : Premises, Prerequisites, Consequences The Art of Bikaner The Highest Calling Human Acts Combo Set Of 2 Shiv Kunal Verma Books – Yodha I : Illustrated Military History of India—The Epics (BCE) to The Uprising (1857) | Yodha-II From Partition to Progress: Persecuted Hindus and the Struggle for Citizenship A City Of Lies A Long Petal of the Sea Ahimsa : 100 Reflections on the Harappan Civilization Alwan-E-Nemat: A journey through Jahangir’s kitchen Babel: Or The Necessity Of Violence: An Arcane History Of The Oxford Translators’ Revolution Bhagmati: Why Hyderabad’s Lost Queen Is the Soul of the City Combo Set Of 2 Shiv Kunal Verma Books – 1962 THE WAR THAT WASN’T | 1965 A WESTERN SUNRISE INDIA’S WAR WITH PAKISTAN Crossing Continents: European Explorers and India’s Mysteries Cultural Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits Demystifying Madrasah And Deobandi Islam: Legacy and History of Darul Uloom Deoband Dustin Thao Set of 2 Books : When Haru Was Here | You’ve Reached Sam Every Day Was A B*** Steak Day Fire on the Ganges From Dubai to Karachi How India Lost Her Freedom How to Fit All of Ancient Greece in an Elevator India’s Secret War: BSF and Nine Months to the Birth of Bangladesh My Dear Kabul: Twenty-one Afghan women, twelve months, onegroup chat Pax: War and Peace in Romes Golden Age Ruminations Selected Essays Targeted: Beirut The Gorkha Grief The Great Defiance The Mewar Conspiracy The Most Boring Book Ever The Nukes, the Jihad, the Hawalas, and Crystal Meth: A Tale of Treachery The Pariah Problem The Ship Beneath the Ice Unruly What If?: 10th Anniversary Edition When Turquoise Waters Turned Dark World History 101 प्राचीन भारत की अवधारणा : Prachin Bharat Ki Avadharna

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Publisher:

FOURTH ESTATE

| Author:

Ravindra Rathee

| Language:

English

| Format:

Hardback

Publisher:

FOURTH ESTATE

Author:

Ravindra Rathee

Language:

English

Format:

Hardback

699 Original price was: ₹699.Current price is: ₹594.

Save: 15%

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7-10 Days

In stock

Weight500 g
Book Type

Hardback

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ISBN:

SKU9789356290310Categories History, PIRecommendsTags #PIDEC, Humanities

Categories: History, PIRecommends

Page Extent:

38

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True to Their Salt is a radical retelling of how India came to be colonized by a handful of Europeans in the eighteenth century, how the British held sway over the country for almost two centuries, and their sudden departure from India in 1947, all told from the perspective of Indian soldiers. The British held India by an army predominantly comprising Indian soldiers, and relied on their fidelity. This loyalty stood the test of time but was eventually breached during the Second World War, leading to India’s independence. This book looks at the world of the Indian soldiers who enlisted in the armies of India under British rule.

In India, the recording of military history has been piecemeal, with attention focused on specific decades, epochs and wars. There has been very little literature that brings together the rich

history of the Indian Army, with its vast experience in international and national wars.

Ravindra Rathee seeks to fill this literary lacuna–and brings a personal perspective to this urgency. His research stems from his grandfather’s service to the Raj during the Second World War. True to Their Salt is not just a story of war and bloodshed for another country–it is an in-depth survey of the professional layers that involved the running of the military: from recruitment to salary structure, and from how Indian soldiers preserved their faith to how they dealt with their frustration at the racism they encountered.

With persuasive flair and rich detail, Rathee rewrites India’s military history, even as he tells a page-turning story that takes the reader through the turbulent centuries of British Indian history.

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Description

True to Their Salt is a radical retelling of how India came to be colonized by a handful of Europeans in the eighteenth century, how the British held sway over the country for almost two centuries, and their sudden departure from India in 1947, all told from the perspective of Indian soldiers. The British held India by an army predominantly comprising Indian soldiers, and relied on their fidelity. This loyalty stood the test of time but was eventually breached during the Second World War, leading to India’s independence. This book looks at the world of the Indian soldiers who enlisted in the armies of India under British rule.

In India, the recording of military history has been piecemeal, with attention focused on specific decades, epochs and wars. There has been very little literature that brings together the rich

history of the Indian Army, with its vast experience in international and national wars.

Ravindra Rathee seeks to fill this literary lacuna–and brings a personal perspective to this urgency. His research stems from his grandfather’s service to the Raj during the Second World War. True to Their Salt is not just a story of war and bloodshed for another country–it is an in-depth survey of the professional layers that involved the running of the military: from recruitment to salary structure, and from how Indian soldiers preserved their faith to how they dealt with their frustration at the racism they encountered.

With persuasive flair and rich detail, Rathee rewrites India’s military history, even as he tells a page-turning story that takes the reader through the turbulent centuries of British Indian history.

Ravindra Rathee started his career as a journalist with the Times of India in Delhi, writing on human rights and conflict resolution. After graduating from St Stephen's College in Delhi, he did an MA in politics at the University of Hull as a British Chevening Scholar. For the past two decades, he has worked as a banker. This is his first book, stemming from extensive research on the military life of his grandfather.

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