Don't Know When Japan Ruled (a part of) India

When people talk about World War II in India, the conversation usually jumps straight to Subhas Chandra Bose, the INA, and the fight against British colonial rule. What gets left out is the story of the only part of India that was actually occupied by another Axis power during the war: the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. And it is not a pleasant story.   In this episode, we dive into the short but brutal Japanese occupation of the islands between 1942 and 1945. We explore how the Japanese rapidly captured the islands during World War II, why the Andamans were strategically important in the Indian Ocean, and how the occupation quickly descended into forced labour, starvation, torture, executions, and widespread terror. From the Homfreyganj massacre to the exploitation of local women as part of Imperial Japan's infamous "comfort women" system, the episode examines a chapter of Indian history that rarely makes it into mainstream conversations. We also tackle one of the most controversial aspects of the story: Subhas Chandra Bose's relationship with the occupation. Was he deliberately shielded from the truth by his allies, or did he choose to look the other way in pursuit of a larger anti-colonial goal? As always, this episode mixes comedy commentary, offbeat learning, and quirky insights into one of those seemingly random topics that turns out to reveal much bigger truths about empire, war, nationalism, and the uncomfortable moral compromises people make when confronting a greater enemy. Because sometimes history isn't a story of heroes and villains. Important links: 1. Survivors of our hell - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2001/jun/23/weekend.adrianlevy 2. The capture of the Andaman Islands, March 1942 - https://web.archive.org/web/20210726181150/https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/andaman.html 3. Japanese Occupation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Impact on Common Islanders - https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2024/6/32102.pdf 4. The forgotten story of the Japanese ruling over (a part of) India - https://indianexpress.com/article/research/the-forgotten-story-of-the-japanese-ruling-over-a-part-of-india-8887379/ 5. The 2015 South Korean–Japanese Agreement on 'Comfort Women': A Critical Analysis - https://brill.com/view/journals/icla/22/3/article-p475_004.xml 6. Japanese occupation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_the_Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islands 7. Rare footage of the Japanese occupation of the Andamans during World War II - https://scroll.in/article/668405/rare-footage-of-the-japanese-occupation-of-the-andamans-during-world-war-ii 8. Netaji and hoisting of tricolour in the Andamans: What really happened in 1943? - https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/netaji-and-hoisting-tricolour-andamans-what-really-happened-1943-94277 Don't Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who'd rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all.  Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don't know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week. Don't Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!