India in the Great War: Fighting for Britain, Dreaming of Freedom

Print of a watercolor painting of a British Indian soldier hiding behind a destroyed building and aiming with a gun towards something or someone out of frame. There is a horse with a saddle and gear drinking water from a puddle behind the soldier.

“India in the Great War: Fighting for Britain, Dreaming of Freedom” explores India’s critical yet often overlooked role in World War I and the lasting impact of that involvement on the nation’s struggle for independence. Through primary source analysis, discussion and creative writing, students investigate how more than 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in Britain’s war effort – facing racism, loss and unfulfilled promises of freedom. The lesson encourages students to question what “loyalty” and “freedom” meant for colonized peoples during the early twentieth century.