Thank God for small mercies: this book could not have been written without access granted to delve deep into the personal papers, notes, and diaries kept by Lt General Nanavatty. These documents cover assignments in Nagaland, into Sri Lanka (IPKF), to Siachen, and leading on to Jammu and Kashmir.
‘The Commanding Officer, assisted by others, put them, Sarma and Nanavatty, through the Retention Exam, a formal test, now defunct, to see how much they knew of the Unit Standing Orders; Procedures, administration, etc., e.g., which knife do you use to butter your toast? … It was the last Retention Exam held in the unit, with the army scrapping the test altogether.’
Whilst in West Bengal, he mulls, ‘The mere sight of Johnny Gurkha, that grim combination of man and equipment, his ‘tin hat’ at a jaunty angle, the magnificent Khukri which speaks volumes for itself, and his ‘no nonsense’ approach was enough to give any would-be rioter the fright of his life.’
During the liberation of Bangladesh, with almost no resources, he led his formation to capture Chittagong. And for exceptional gallantry, he was awarded a well-deserved Maha Vir Chakra.
There are several examples in the book of General Nanavatty’s vision on today’s challenges. While in Wellington at the Defence Services Staff College, he was a part of a group paper which advocated offensive formations in the Western theatre based on brigade-sized battle groups. Today, after many decades, the Indian Army is contemplating the formation of Integrated Battle Groups.
Nanavatty foresaw that India should have many field firing ranges. Given our forward deployments along the Line of Actual Control in recent years, there is a need to enhance these facilities.
An important point in this context is the danger faced by scrap collectors, not just in Ferozepur but at firing ranges operated by the armed forces. The government and the armed forces need to review not just the safety standards in place at all firing ranges but also look into the protocols governing logistics and ammunition dumps, after all, slums cannot be allowed to mushroom around these places.
Post-1984 started the deployment of the Indian Army on the Siachen glacier; there was no waste management plan in place to dispose of hundreds of tonnes of waste generated. Swachh Bharat and climate action saw the Indian Army launch its Siachen clean-up with an annual target of removing 130 tonnes. One hopes that the use of modern technologies will lessen the impact on fragile ecosystems.
Reflecting on the potential role of the Special Forces, General VP Malik (Retd), former Chief of Army Staff, told the author, Arjun Subramaniam, a former fighter pilot and retired Air Vice Marshal, that, as a brigadier in the Directorate of Military Operations, he had assessed Nanavatty’s view on the use of Special Forces did not seem to ‘sync with reality’. But today, the present government has drawn distinct red lines as part of its ‘zero tolerance for terrorism.’ The Special Forces and the Indian Air Force have conducted cross-border strikes against terrorist infrastructure in peacetime, although faced with a nuclear threat.
The book is not just about the life and times of General Nanavatty or his career. It goes far beyond bringing to life the many unsung heroes of all ranks of the Indian armed forces. This is a book about India’s military history. The author combines facts and writes about fascinating individuals with military history. An easy read, given the short anecdotal sections that tie the narrative together like beads strung together. To me, General Nanavatty’s long service in the Indian army, about defence and security issues, has relevance in an era of major power contestation, protracted wars, evolving threats, and challenges faced by our country.