MUMBAI, Nov. 12 -- It was an emotional Tuesday evening at the 220-year-old Asiatic Library's Durbar Hall. A discussion on Penguin Random House's book, 'The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II-Surrender, Loyalty, Betrayal and Hell', released in September, left many in tears. Banker-turned-author Gautam Hazarika's debut novel delves into the lives and sacrifices of the thousands of Indian soldiers who became war prisoners of the Japanese during the fall of Singapore in February 1942, and eventually went on to become the Indian National Army (INA) that joined Japan to fight the British with the aim of freeing India from colonial rule. "My book is about their sacrifices, their life and bravery and the hardships they faced on the battleground and in war prisoner camps," said Hazarika. "So many of whom never came home while their families waited endlessly." The accounts in the book are compiled from historical documents, soldiers' biographies and interviews with surviving soldiers or those who knew them or their families. At the discussion, the grandchildren of the soldiers spoke about what patriotism meant for their elders, the stories they heard growing up, and how history had done them a disservice by burying them in just a few lines in history textbooks. "They survived eating lizards, were gruesomely beheaded and faced many atrocities that some of their families don't know of even today," said Hazarika. "Yet, they have been forgotten." Mannat Faruqui, a jewellery designer, said that people still believed that the INA was formed by Subhas Chandra Bose. "That is not true-it was formed by my grandfather General Mohan Singh," she said. Hazarika added that it was Singh who inculcated a sense of community among Indian soldiers. "The British had 22 canteens for the soldiers-one for Muslims and the others for other castes and sub-castes," he said. "It was Singh who ensured that everyone ate together and was treated equally." That sense of community continued even after the war. Singh and his two closest allies, Rattan Singh and Chitra Bahadur, decided to live together, like one family in the same house in Jugiana, Punjab, with their wives and children. The children called them Pitaji, Chhote Pitaji and Dada respectively. Mohan was a Sikh and Rattan a Rajput. They both had two sons each. The older two sons were raised as Sikhs and the younger ones as Rajputs. The only greeting in their home was Jai Hind. "We have grown up in a family where patriotism and service to the country and a sense of community were the most important things," said Priyanka Shankar, granddaughter of Rattan Singh. Even today, the family's greeting is Jai Hind. Filmmaker Shaad Ali was also on the panel. His grandparents, Prem Kumar Sahgal and Lakshmi Sahgal, were both in the INA, and Dr Lakshmi led its Rani of Jhansi regiment. "While growing up, I never felt like I was living with heroes or extraordinary people until the anti-Sikh 1984 riots in Kanpur," said Ali. "Dr Lakshmi became a human shield and saved a Sikh family from being slaughtered. That's when I knew how brave and even crazy these people were." Ali added that they had to be that way to fight the British, who easily outnumbered them. "But it wasn't just the women in the training camps-even those waiting at home for their husbands, uncertain about whether they were dead or alive, made huge sacrifices for the country," said Shankar. "Our grandmothers ran the house and raised children all alone for the longest time while the men were on the battlefield. They were so brave." Hazarika acknowledged the women's immense sacrifices. "They have been forgotten too but I plan to write about them in my next book," he said....