Civilian Internment in India – Omissions and Exceptions

Abstract

This essay explores civilian internment in India through the experiences of a small cast of characters unwittingly drawn into and implicated in the imperial conflict. They include a Thai artist and a Buddhist novice, incarcerated with Japanese internees at the Purana Qila, New Delhi, and later at Deoli; a German bhikkhu (Buddhist monk) sent to Dehradun camp from Ceylon, and an Italian bhikkhu who passed through numerous camps. Addressing themes of mobility, displacement and incarceration of individuals with natal or adopted Buddhist identity it uncovers neglected Asian realities and postcolonial sentiments pertaining to internment in British India.