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Folks, today is the 77th anniversary of the Royal Indian Navy mutiny.
I guess not many remembered.
Here's a short thread on that.
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A beautiful piece on the Royal Indian Navy mutiny which commenced this day in 1946 - the final straw that broke the Empire's back.
Worth a read.
A MUST READ piece, in fact!
tribuneindia.com/2006/20060212/…
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Photo: Indian Naval ratings march in Bombay in defiance of the Empire.
Ironically enough, like the chapattis which went all around India during the 1857 First War of Independence asking the nation drive away the British, it was 20 loaves of bread that started this RIN Mutiny.
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Photo: HMIS Akbar, the RIN Training Ship whose ratings heralded the mutiny in Bombay.
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HMIS Hindustan, the first of 20 ships to revolt after the events ashore.
Ultimately some 20,000 men,78 ships and 20 shore based establishments would join in. Both Congress & Muslim League opposed the mutiny while CPI supported it.
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Ironically, the mutineers raised the flags of all three parties in order to underline the communal unity on board.
The tricolour was hoisted on all establishments on 19 Feb 1946.
Finally, brute force prevailed and the mutineers were arrested.
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But they had put into motion a chain of events that would ultimately convince the British Empire that it couldn't count on continued loyalty of its Indian soldiers, followed as it was, by the Jabalpur mutiny by Indian Army Signallers.
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They were aware that they didn't have the military force necessary to rule India if the Indian Sepoys didn't cooperate.
Memories of 1857 still haunted them.
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A piece by Ratnakar Sadasyula ..
Another recommended reading about this epochal event.
Very aptly titled too.
historyunderyourfeet.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/20-…
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Photo: The Indian Navy Mutiny Memorial at Colaba, Bombay
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When asked some years later as to why the British left India, Attlee named Bose, armed forces mutiny as reasons. Gandhi helped too, just minimally, as per him.
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Here's another blog post by @dikgaj, @maidros78 and @sarkar_swati
Worth a read.
janamejayan.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/how…
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Political movement could continue, but it was the events like INA, Jabalpur & Naval mutiny that finally 'convinced' the Empire to leave.
A week hence will be the 77th anniversary of the Jabalpur Mutiny as well.
#LestWeForget
:Fin:
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