Written by Navtej Sarna |Published: May 25, 2019 9:51:40 am
Abandoned at Sea: Book review of Voices of Komagata Maru
A meticulous account of neglected historiographic threads brings to life the Komagata Maru incident, which launched a thousand protests in India
In September 1914, the German cruiser Emden, with remarkable stealth, appeared at the mouth of the Hooghly and destroyed five English vessels. It then shelled the tanks of the Burma Oil Company and the storage batteries of Madras docks. Destabilising sea routes, trade and mail connections in East Asia, the Emden challenged the confident superiority of the British empire in the region. Rumours of a possible German offensive and impending flight of British colonisers were rife and panic gripped Calcutta, already disturbed by wartime scarcity, rising prices and repressive administrative measures.
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