Memories of Victory Day
I was a kid then. We lived on the third floor of a 5-storey building in Dadar, Bombay, with seven tenants on each floor. As usual, if my father hadn't returned from his job in Ballard Estate by eight, I would start worrying and be out on the common veranda, waiting to see him turn the corner after getting off the suburban train.
On the evening of May 8, 1945 I was waiting in the verandah when jeep-loads of British soldiers arrived and went into the Dadar Bar on the opposite side. They came out singing and yelling, some with bottles in their hands. They did a jig on the street yelling 'Victory!', 'We've won!' 'War's over!' etcetera. When he arrived my Dad told me that the Germans had accepted defeat and surrendered. The end of World War 2 in Europe! A great victory for good over evil!
Indian troops had fought in the war around the world. But the response among Indians to the victory was muted. They were waiting for a victory more meaningful to them. Freedom from British rule!
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