Topic: World War

Where arms races begin, wars often follow. Leaders of the US, Russia, and China could do worse than read the story of the tragic fall of Athens.

On 22 April 1955, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru spoke at the closed session of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, where he said there was no no point in blaming the Soviet Union or America and Asian countries must be on the side of peace, not war. ‘If there is aggression anywhere in the world, it is bound to result in world war.’

The West must recognise that Russia is a declining power, but if pushed hard, it will react – just like Germany did after a humiliating peace at Versailles.

But Germany made a crucial mistake – no matter how much territory it captured or sea and air power it built.

In ‘The 24th Mile’, Tehmton Mistry writes about Dr Jehangir Anklesaria, who took part in the war effort in Rangoon and set about to vaccinate a camp of suffering Indians.

In ‘Raj and Norah’, Peter R. Kohli and Shaina Kohli Russo write about Rajendra Kohli, who left his chemistry studies in England to join the British Army in 1939.

In ‘Indian Economy’s Greatest Crisis’, Arun Kumar writes what India can learn from China and the US on its road to economic recovery.

In ‘Bland Fanatics’, Pankaj Mishra writes how books and films portray the pre-war years as an age of prosperity in Europe. But it was full of war, racism and genocide.

During the 2008 financial crisis, leaders like Gordon Brown, Tara Aso and Kevin Rudd gained popularity, but vanished after the rise of nationalist populism.

More than a million Indians served in WWI. Among them, dapper in RFC uniforms, was a tiny number of Indians who served in the flying corps.