A good book reveals and informs. A great book goes where ordinary folk can’t, like India’s Most Fearless 3 that takes its readers into the battlegrounds from where its real-life heroes don’t always make it out alive to happily-ever-afters. These short chapters written in a heady mix of reportage and semi-fictional styles, engage in a deep-dive into the defence forces’ operations that have captured the public imagination.
The nation has been invested in cross-border stand-offs since time immemorial, yet after the raw newness of each episode of friction, the media moves on to the next breaking news, leaving the public hankering for greater clarity and details of these military operations. It is massive credit to authors Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh how intimate and heartbreaking each sortie feels as detailed in the book. It brings home how the price of peace in the country is paid for in blood by young bravehearts at our borders.
It is difficult to present a 360-degree view of a war-like situation via words alone. Just as the crucial balance between the hard facts of a military event and human factors involved in such storytelling is near-impossible to depict in writing. Then there are military exigencies, internal codes of conduct, operational details, realities of the personnel and the terrain, as well as human associations within teams and with family.
Hiding in plain sight behind the crisp, engrossing prose is painstaking and detailed research, including extensive interviews with surviving team members. And to put all this material into short, immensely readable chapters that translate to real experiences for the lay reader is both an art and a triumph. Not only does the authorial expertise in the subject matter shine through, the writing itself is a treat.
The book begins on a fascinating note about the clash in Ladakh’s Galwan River Valley against the incursive PLA in June 2020, but it is as much a story about Naik Deepak Singh, the nursing assistant. Naik Deepak attained martyrdom not only ministering to the wounded in the Indian Army, but also transcended the call of duty for humanity and treated the war-wounded on the enemy side even after his capture. Through Naik Deepak and his bride of six months Rekha, the story of an extraordinary Indian soldier and the lives and hopes of our martyrs and their families are retold.
In these tales of 10 men from the armed forces and their missions, a composite picture emerges of the incredible valour of the men who protect our nation. This is a book that every proud Indian must read and remember, for this embodies the collective bravery of a few good men, their lives an emblem of our nation’s inner strength.
India’s Most Fearless 3
By: Rahul Singh and Shiv Aroor
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 288
Price: Rs 399