Our Name Is Mutiny
The Global Revolt against the Raj and the Hidden History of the Singapore Mutiny, 1907 - 1915
by Umej Bhatia
In 1907, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Indian Mutiny, a global revolt against the British Raj was taking shape. Known as the Ghadar or Mutiny Movement, this global network launched an uprising in 1915 that spilled over into the snug British settlement of Singapore.
Exactly 27 years before its fall to the Japanese in World War II, Singapore thus faced a mutiny by its garrison of British Indian Army soldiers or sepoys. Stoked by Indian rebels based in California, activists on a migrant voyage to Canada to contest its race laws, a German sea raider, and renegades preaching holy war, the 1915 Singapore sepoy mutiny fused several plots against imperial power in the region.
This book reveals the hidden history of the mutiny and exposes the forces that converged on the small island enroute to the revolt against the British Empire in India. The story of the men and women behind the world-wide rebellion and the Singapore mutiny is brought to life in this thrilling non-fiction narrative that spotlights the legacy of the forgotten uprisings.
Size: 134 x 215 mm
Extent: 378 pages
Binding: Paperback
Weight: 706 g
ISBN: 978-981-14-2917-0
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Reviews
Masterful.... An essential portrait of the colonial era that provides lasting lessons for the region’s multicultural present.
– Dr Parag Khanna, author of The Future is Asian
I congratulate my brilliant colleague, Ambassador Umej Bhatia, for writing this illuminating book on a landmark event in the history of Singapore which has never been properly explained. In 1915, when the British were fighting the First World War, the Indian soldiers in Singapore mutinied and went on a killing spree. Why did they do it ? Was it an isolated incident or was it linked to events in Punjab and other parts of the British Empire. For answers to these and other questions please buy a copy of Umej’s book. Highly recommended.
– Tommy Koh, Singapore Amassador-at-large
It takes readers on a journey that reads more like a novel than a historical text, giving individuals space and compassion....
– The Straits Times
(Mr Bhatia) took 10 years to research and write Our Name Is Mutiny… his layered and nuanced narrative brings to life the sepoy mutineers and their Indian officers and tells of the sometimes bumbling decisions and conduct of the British military officers…
– Tabla!
From Goodreads
I found Our Name is Mutiny to be a riveting read. It's a sweeping and epic non-fiction narrative that captures a world about to catch fire during the First World War…. Soldiers, sepoys, seditionist, spies, settlers, ships, sailors and sellers of ideals all converge eventually in Singapore where a spark leads to a mutiny. Bhatia uncovers this hidden history quite magnificently.
Our Name Is Mutiny is a captivating read and masterful study…. It’s an amazing, thrilling and eye-opening journey into the people, politics, and forces at play behind the struggle against imperial rule, inevitably and tragically leading to the 1915 Singapore Sepoy Mutiny. This sweeping and epic narrative, so beautifully crafted and rich in detail, paints a vivid picture, uncovering the hidden history, and bringing the unfolding scenes and events to life.
Amazingly well-researched, gripping (a rare adjective for a historical narrative), and nuanced.