World War II: The Anti-British Sentiments and Anti-war Propaganda of the Urdu Press in the Madras Presidency, 1939-1945

Abstract

The Indian National Movement is an epic story. It is also an intense and unique historical drama that spans about half a century. The theme of the drama is liberation from colonialism through a non-violent struggle by which India was gradually released and given her rightful place in the comity of Nations. During British rule, the growth of nationalism in India put a severe strain on the isolationist and separatist tendencies of the Indian Muslims. The role of the vernacular press in uniting the Hindus and Muslims against the British government is conspicuous. The most widely circulated papers of Northern India – the Banga-basi, the Hitavadi, the Surabhi o Pataka of Calcutta, the Nizam-ul-Mulk, and the Akhbar-i-Am of Lahore attempted to form a united public opinion against the British government of the day. World War II broke out on September 1, 1939. Though, India was far away from the war theatre in Europe. The Viceroy unilaterally associated India with Britain’s declaration of war on Germany without even consulting the provincial members of the Indian leaders. The Indian nationalists were strongly anti-fascist. But to them much more absorbing than war were the domestic political development viz., the rise of the Muslim League, the struggle between the right and left wings of the Congress, the fate of the provincial Ministers, etc. Yet the congress was prepared to cooperate in the war effort provided some minimum conditions were met, viz., a promise of post –War Constituent Assembly to determine free India’s political setup and immediate formation of some sort of responsible government at the centre.