Amberley picks up 'comprehensive' history of the British Indian Army by Rathee

Amberley Publishing has landed a "comprehensive history" of the British Indian Army by Ravindra Rathee.

Connor Stait, commissioning editor, acquired world rights, excluding the Indian subcontinent, to True To Their Salt: Indian Soldiers and The British Empire from literary agent Kanishka Gupta at Writer’s Side in New Delhi. Swati Chopra at HarperCollins acquired the Indian subcontinent rights via a three-way auction from Gupta. It will be published in June 2022. 

The publisher described the book as "the first comprehensive single-volume history of pre-partition Indian military from Indian soldiers’ perspective" which argues how "Indian soldiers made a pivotal contribution to the British Empire and Great Britain’s development from a small, relatively poor island to a dominant military and industrial power". Marking the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, it also argues that this group played a crucial role in securing Indian independence from the British.

Stait said: "The themes that Rathee covers in this single volume are both layered and complex. We learn about the preservation of an ordinary Indian soldier’s faith and of his self in service of a foreign power. We are taken through a detailed examination of the process of recruitment in the days of the Raj: from training to salary structure and the organization of soldierly barracks. Rathee addresses questions that are extremely relevant today, in the telling of any military history—racism, casteism and classism."

This is Rathee’s first book, stemming from extensive research on the military life of his grandfather. Rathee commented: "As a child, I heard stories from my grandfather of his experiences during the Second World War. After his death, I started researching his war service, and realized that there is a much bigger story to tell. I am very excited to work with Connor and Swati to tell this story on the 75th anniversary of Indian independence."