Oct 16 2025 to Oct 16 2025 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Half the troops defending Singapore in the Second World War were Indian, many of them from Bangalore and Mysore. Their wives and families waited anxiously at home, often for years with no word of their loved ones. Some of these 67,000 men joined the Japanese-backed Indian National Army to fight for India’s independence, others made daring escapes, staged double-crosses of the Japanese, or endured forced labour in Papua New Guinea where most never returned. Their families lived with silence, separation, and survival against odds, while the official memory of their sacrifices faded. This evening seeks to remember their courage and loss, and to restore their place in history through the stories of their descendants and the lens of Hazarika’s book.

This programme opens with the release of the book, The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II, written by Gautam Hazarika, by Rear-Admiral Sampath Pillai, son of Brigadier MM Pillai, MC, of the Bombay Sappers. This will be followed by a Keynote Address from Maj General Kodendera Arjun Muthanna of the Garhwal Rifles, author, and nephew of General Kodandera S. Thimayya of the Indian Army and Major Kodandera P Thimayya of the INA. An Author Conversation with Gautam, led by Varun Khanna, will then explore the research and hidden histories that shaped this narrative.

The evening culminates by bringing together voices from the families whose lives were shaped by these events. Air Marshal Balatikalndra Uthaiah Chengappa, son of Jemadar Uthaiah of the 1st Mysore Infantry; Maheswari Chinnaswamy, daughter of Sapper Marimuthu of the Madras Sappers; and Aliyeh Rizvi, granddaughter of Major Mir Hussain Sarfaraz of the 1st Mysore Infantry, will share their memories and legacies. Together, these stories offer an intimate and moving view into a chapter of history that remains largely unacknowledged, yet continues to echo across generations.

Presented by:

Speakers

Gautam Hazarika
Author
After being a banker most of his life, Singapore based Gautam Hazarika now researches the lesser known stories of Singapore in World War II such as the Indian army, the civilian resistance and war crimes trials. The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II published by Penguin India and Pen & Sword UK is his first book.

Sampath Pillai
Rear-Admiral
Rear-Admiral Sampath Pillai joined the NDA in 1961 and subsequently the Indian Navy in 1964. The highlights of his service were  command of the ships SHARDUL (78-79), BEAS(81-82) and RANA(88-89). His last operational command was as the Commodore, Indian Naval Flotilla in Somalia ( 92-93), as part of the United Nations, Peace-keeping Force there. He also took part in training activities in the DSSC Wellington(82-85), at the Iraqi Staff College, Baghdad(85-88) and at the NDC, New Delhi(93-95), and is a qualified interpreter in German from the School of Foreign Languages of the MOD(67-68).

Arjun Muthanna
Major General, The Garhwal Rifles Regiment
Major General Arjun Muthanna, The Garhwal Rifles Regiment spent most of his 37+ yrs service in counter-terror and mountain areas. He established Karnataka State Police’s Centre for Counter-Terrorism and the Garuda Force. In a second career he’s Director HR and Training with Trident Automobiles, Bangalore. A veteran of the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka he has compiled and edited five books of personal accounts of IPKF veterans. He’s also the Managing Trustee of Kodagu Educational and Social Service Trust that is engaged in youth development in his home district, Kodagu.

Varun Khanna
Philatelist
Varun Khanna is a student of Indian military history, with a special interest in Bangalore military  history. He collaborates with Bengaluru  Prayana to conduct Bangalore – The Army Town and its tales – a heritage trail. Varun is also a philatelist and focuses on collecting and researching Postal history  of Indian Forces during the Second World War and prior.