Brig RV Singh’s narration of life in the Army and civvy street
The author participated in the Indo-Pak War 1971 as a 2nd Lt. He led a rifle platoon in an assault on an enemy stronghold – Sehjra in Khemkaran sector of Punjab.
This book is a narration of numerous experiences and events which the author experienced through his 35 years of service in the Army and a decade thereafter on civvy street.
A very truthful and impartial presentation of events from joining a Gorkha battalion as a 2nd Lieutenant to rise to the rank of Brigadier. Written in an anecdotal form and presented exactly as the events unfolded before him at various places and time.
The book recounts the officer’s formative years in the Battalion and in senior command and staff appointments. It also includes experiences of three para-normal happenings after retirement from the Army.
The author undertook Swargrohoni trek to Satopanth Tal when he was 70 years old, a visit to the pious Kailash and Mansarovar and a spiritual experience which he was blessed to undergo in the midst of the great Himalayas.
The author has a unique gift of narrating his experiences while he lived, trained, ate and played with his soldiers bringing out lucidly their culture, social customs, traditions, religious rituals. He visited his soldier’s homes in Nepal five times on annual leave undertaking long treks to reach their remote villages in the far reaches of the Himalayas.
The author’s stories are a mix of regimental experiences, challenges faced while serving on the staff of Brigade HQ, GSO 1 (Ops) of a Division HQ, Col Q of a Sub Area HQ, Col Admin of a Division HQ and, later, command of 4/5 Gorkha Rifles (in Tawang sector) as well as an Infantry Brigade at Kanpur.
His experiences in quelling the riots and saving the lives of a number of Sikh families in Delhi after the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi, are fascinating.
The author’s brutally honest style compels the reader to finish it in one session and leaves a desire to read passages again and again.
