The Free World Wouldn’t Exist Without Indian Soldiers

Among the physical memorials of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Britain in 1940, one particular statue stands out in the town of Gravesend in Kent, England. With pilot goggles in one hand and a turban atop his head, Mohinder Singh Pujji was a Sikh Indian national from Simla who flew a Spitfire fighter plane during the campaign in World War II.

When I was a child, my dad told me how South Asians — then part of undivided India — helped Britain during tough times, from supporting labor shortages to fighting on the frontlines. They fought on behalf of the British Empire multiple times, with 1.3 million Indian soldiers serving in World War I and 2.5 million in World War II. Immigrants also helped rebuild Britain after the war. So why do we forget this history?