Captured Voices

»In the land of Germany, they don't understand a word, and I don't speak in shame.« These words were sung by Jasbahadur Rai on 6th June 1916 into the funnel of a gramophone. As an Indian colonial soldier of the British Army, he was located in a prisoner of war camp in Wünsdorf, not far from Berlin in Germany, at the time of his sound recording. He sang in his language about how he perceived German...