Often seen through a Eurocentric lens, the First World saw over 65 million troops from nearly 30 countries, with more than 9 million soldiers and countless civilian casualties. India's contributions, often overlooked, were crucial—over 1.3 million soldiers served, and 74,000 lost their lives. Among the first units to leave Indian shores were the Mysore Lancers, who, alongside troops from Hyderabad, Patiala, and Jodhpur, made significant contributions to British victories.
While archival materials have focused on soldiers from northern India, the contributions of southern Indian troops, particularly from Karnataka, remain underrepresented. In 2018, for the war's centenary, ReReeti launched White Pepper Black Pepper, a project aimed at filling this gap by exploring Bengaluru’s archival and personal narratives, uncovering the stories of southern soldiers and acknowledging India’s role in this historic event.
The project’s name is derived from the code words Indian soldiers used in their letters to describe their interactions with soldiers from different backgrounds.