Letter to BS: Why did many Indians join the army of colonial powers?

I write with reference to Ajai Shukla’s review of Anit Mukerjee’s book The Absent Dialogue — “India’s civil-military friction” (November 20). The mistrust goes back to the 1857 mutiny. No one has answered why Indians of that time joined the army of a colonial power. Even the Congress party that was formed in 1885 did not ever try to dissuade Indians from joining the British Indian Army. In the most powerful democracy, generals fought for independence and created a democracy. 

T R Ramaswami  Mumbai

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