ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the social and cultural aspects of the Indian fighting men and support personnel and hence, an attempt has been made to follow the ‘history from below’ approach, which goes beyond the archives to study other historical artefacts. It provides some of human stories of the war, the feelings of the soldiers while crossing the seas and engaging in the deadliest war they had ever fought. The book also provides a sense of understanding of how a sacrifice of a comrade in the battle led to the friendship between two families for generations. It focuses on the moot question of why none of the treaty obligations between the states and the Government of India required them to support the British outside of India; the princely states deployed their troops at the turn of the century in China, South Africa and Somaliland.
