The Guns of Navarone authored by Alistair Maclean was the first war novel which I read in my life. Though years later, I got the chance to watch the movie by the same name , (which had Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn among others as the main characters), the excitement provided by the novel was something different. Captain Mallory, Andrew Stevens and Corporal Miller, the main protagonists had left indelible memories in the heart. One of the reasons which inculcated in me the passion for joining the defense forces was novels like Guns of Navarone and films like Tora! Tora! Tora! (a US-Japanese joint venture based on the events that led the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor which turned the course of the Second World War.
The novels and films based on the World Wars still retain the charm and freshness of the time they were authored and pictured. Remember, those were the days when there were no internet, television or satellite communications. The movie makers had to depend on raw methods to film the battle sequences as computer graphics too were yet to take shape.
An average villager like me was so influenced by these novels and films and I took the first opportunity to try my luck to join the Indian Navy. There was a recruiting rally to select artificer apprentices and I rushed to the recruiting office at Ernakulam in the hope of getting selected to serve the nationand become a Mallory or Stevens. But the officer in charge of the recruiting office told me that I was unfit to join the service as I had the problem of “knock knee”. What was more shocking was the action of the army medical officer who put a seal on the original certificate of my SSLC stating that I was unfit to serve the Forces. Though my passion to join the defense forces was blown out by this incident, an interest to read books on wars and the bravery of soldiers grew in my mind.
While a number of books on wars and military actions were published by western authors, the contribution by Indian authors are few in number. Our authors are preoccupied with making fast moola and global recognition. Fictitious stories critical of Indian culture, especially how the oppressed and depressed are tortured by the upper caste, are the forte of most of our writers.
A bold attempt was made by Rachna Bisht Rawat, who penned The Brave, a tribute to the soldiers who were decorated with Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest gallantry award. It was a path breaking book. Now, a young author by name Bhaavna Arora has come out with Nagrota Under Siege, an account of the 29th November 2016 terrorist attack on the Indian Army base in Nagrota which claimed the lives of seven Indian soldiers including two senior officers, Major Akshay Girish Kumar and Major Kunal Gosavi.
Kashmir is the graveyard of thousands of Indian soldiers and security personnel ambushed and martyred by the terrorists who are sponsored by Pakistan and Islamic terrorists. Not a single day passes without TV channels and newspapers reporting about terrorist attacks in this theatre of war. A major portion of Kashmir was illegally occupied by Pakistan which had the tacit support of three families. Indians are paying for the Himalayan blunders committed by a former Prime Minister who is still adored as the architect of modern India.
Leaving aside history, Bhaavna has presented the readers with an unforgettable record which resemble an emotional and action packed novel. It is a real life story which has been written without any exaggeration and fiction. More than the various aspects of an Army operation, it has an element of human bondage. Normally, we read about the terrorist attacks and the martyred soldiers and forget the same to the back of our minds. How many of us remember the likes of Lieutenant Triveni Singh, a 26-year young Army officer who was martyred while leading a mission to Jammu Railway Station on 2nd January 2004. Triveni led a valiant battle against the terrorists and swa to it that they were neutralized before he took a fatal shot. Before dying, he saluted his commanding officer and said “Mission accomplished, Sir”. He was the one and only son of hos parents.
Bhaavna’s forte lies in her ability to mould the data she collected into a heart rending book. She has featured all the officers and soldiers in the rescue team deputed to save the Army personnel from the attack of the terrorists. Their personalities, family life and lighter side of life add to the power of the book which has written in the style of a novel. By the time we complete the book, the protagonists become a part of our own families. Bhaavana deserves a special salute for this work and all one could say is Thank You Bhaavana and Thank You Dear Martyrs who laid down their lives for the sake of the nation.
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