I have been a visitor to this forum many a times. To all, a warm hello to all . As a newcomer to PDF, I make my debut post in this thread.
It is quite interesting to note the online comments about how (generally) Indians perceive Japan as the good guys in WW-2 . To the Chinese on this forum, you have to understand that we were under British rule and to kick them out, any other power that could be used as help/assistance to overthrow the Brits was of utmost importance to us.
On the other side of the coin, the hatred for British Rule was so much that we did not (during WW2) see the harrowing images of Japanese treatment of the Chinese (Nanking anyone?) and much of what was happening under their rule in East Asia. Wherever the Japanese went, be it Korea, China, Thailand, Philippines and other countries, conquest was of utmost importance to them and no friend, no ally was to be given any due respect or privilege. Those who have read and studied "Manchuria" incidents will attest to this.
While Netaji Shubhash Chandra Bose's intention were good - (to kick out the Brits) - and were he to live a longer life and succeed in his campaign against the colonial power, my fear would have been that he would have been used as a mere pawn by Tojo and gang in Tokyo and the onslaught into India by the Japanese would have been another era of bloodshed and carnage... much brutal , much harrowing in ways much of East Asia was pillaged, raped and ransacked.
Now I am sure he was an astute fellow and would not have brought humiliation of paupership under Japanese 'hegemony' but it could have been a likely scenario - IF the Japs were to sit out a prolonged war , IF NSCB and INA were to survive a longer life and if the Brits were defeated.
To many Indians, I repeat, the horrors of East Asia are simply not known, neither taught in history lessons (in India) and neither elicit any interest. Having studied in India till 7th standard, our history books were full of Maratha Confederacy, Colonial history and Post Independence .
On a separate note - I would urge both sides (Chinese, like Wanglaokans and Indians) to understand each other.
To us Indians first - Japan pillaged and plundered China in both wars , treated its citizens worse than 3rd class citizens. So you have to understand their HATRED, absolute hatred for the Japanese in that context.
To Chinese - Britain pillaged us as well and plundered much of our riches to the point where in some places , we were treated worse than dogs. We Indians saw Japanese (and Hitler) as the only way to kick the colonial vermin out. At any price.
