Author: Gaurav Sawant
Publisher: Macmillan
Year: 2000
Language: English
Pages: 319
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0333 93408 3
Description
A gripping, first hand account of the author's nine-week-long stay in Kargil theatre of war, his days and nights with the soldiers who fought the war with Pakistan and the locals desperate to flee to safer places.
An incisive portrayal of the morale of the troops from the time when earlier attempts failed till a clearer picture emerged and the magnitude of the crisis finally dawned on the Operation Commanders.
Highlights of the narrative:
On the night of June 12, 1999, the course of the conflict changed when the Indian Army got its first win - The Toloing Peak, when 120 guns boomed together, from a 105 mm field gun to the 155 mm Bofors howitzer, all firing at the same mountain top, wreaking a havoc on the enemy concentration.
Living with soldiers in underground bunkers, under rocks, sharing their rations, wearing their camouflage, the author traveled extensively from Mushkoh valley through Drass, Kaksar, Kargil, Batalik and beyond to Leh. Capturing moments of joy and sorrow, victory and defeat in the conflict zone, he gives a penetrating insight into the man in uniform who fought and won the Kargil war. The gun mattered but the man behind the gun mattered more.
Elucidating the whys and hows of the war, the book gives a graphic depiction of the Army fighting on the ground, Air Force pounding enemy camps and concentrations from the sky and the Navy adopting stern posture at sea, pushing the aggressors back into their shell.
Author's extensive interaction and candid interviews with the top brass - the victors of the battle on the second front.
Reflections on India's post-war preparations to deal with the long-drawn involvement along the 150 kilometer-long intrusion area and the war in Kargil that is still on.