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We Wish You all a Happy and Safe Holi              March 2020 Edition of Power Politics is updated.
Issue:March' 2020

BOOK BAZAAR

Story of Indian warfare

M. R. Dua

This book is a brief ‘story of India’s warfare.’ It begins from where it all started over 5,000 years ago, on the sacred grounds of Kurukshetra. It concludes with the most recent flashpoints in Kashmir’s Pulwama, Balakot and beyond.
The author of this book. Ajay Singh, is a former soldier. He dwells on fortytwo battlefields armed confrontations. At the end of every armed encounter, the author’s doleful conclusion is: ‘a story of collective valour, of men fighting impossible odds, and then, even in death, remaining unbowed, and undefeated.’
But, it’s only after the Indian Army’s resounding, thrilling wins from the IndoPak armed offensives in ‘The Race to Srinagar’, ‘Battle of Zojila’ and ‘The Indo-Pak War of Kashmir’ that Singh’s spirited descriptions bring the battles ‘come alive.
The author has written accounts of many skirmishes -the Afghans against the Rajput Empire; the Mughals’ Panipat battles; Britishers ‘momentous battle’ of Palashi (Plassey); establishment of the East India Company in the 18th century, followed by unlikely alliance of Bengal’s Nawab Mir Qasim, Awadh ruler Shuja-ud-Daulah, and the Mughal, Shah Alam II, to oust the British from India;

Tipu Sultn Tipu Sultan’s uprising; the fall of the Sikh empire in Punjab in 1846; the 1857 first war of independence and a complete takeover by the British Crown of India.
The author has succeeded in bringing out the story of Indian warfare, describing why the rulers failed and the country suffered extreme torments of slavery. However, the book cann’t be described as an authoritative historical text. This book is without a bibliography and proper referencing. At best, it can be read during a short rail/air journey, some leisure time.