The Second Highest World War: The Rama Theater

Why is it that the face of World War II has appeared in print or film so often, but very seldom the back, the larger part? Could Hitlers rise and fall be seen in India? The reader will find controversial answers in this backside story of WWII from a remote, spectacular Himalayan region. Chander, a U.S.-educated journalist, writes his memoirs at the request of his American wife, Kristi. The memoirs, which remained unpublished for decades due to the young couples accidental death, reveal that Chander as a young boy lived with his mother in a Himalayan village, while his father was fighting in WWII. Chander recounts dramatic experiences of local WWII soldiers and civilians from 1941 to 1948. The experiences are juxtaposed with his hometowns Rama Lila, a famous folk play of the Ramayana epic, where Prince Rama fights the terrorist-chief Ravana. Jagriti, a girl in Chanders village, introduces and, though forbidden, enacts parts of the play with him. Inspired by her, he watches the ten-night Rama Lila every year, while experiencing wars reactions and other emotionally charged actions, from humorous to terroristic, in his Hindu village, Christian school, and Hindu-Christian-Muslim town.

Anoop Chandola, born in India, is a professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. His degrees in linguistics include an M.A. from the University of California (Berkeley) and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He is the author of 10 books including a novel, Discovering Brides.