By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 17 Nov: The beautifully illustrated two-volume military history of India simply takes one’s breath away. The latest offering by the Dehradun-born and educated Shiv Kunal Verma sets yet another benchmark in military history writing, this time setting the bar with the use of almost 1,800 images to support the text. According to former Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, ‘after his seminal and definitive early documentation of the 1962 and 1965 wars, this takes the telling of history to a supersonic level. Absolutely brilliant!’
Endorsing his course mates view, Admiral Karambir Singh says, ‘to understand who we are as a country, as a people, and as a race, we have to know our military history. Shiv Kunal Verma’s excellent magnum opus is a must read, that needs to be on every Indian’s bookshelf.’ The chair for the launch of the book, Monisha Datta, aptly summed it up, ‘Few authors in the country are capable of effortlessly diving as deep. The two volumes are simply mind-boggling.’
Reading an excerpt from Yodha-1, she quoted a passage from the Chola period where Verma says Rajendra Chola in 1023 CE sailed his ships to Indonesia mainly to dominate the Malacca Straits that was the gateway to trade with China. ‘Nothing is ever the same, and yet nothing ever changes,’ replied Verma who said our military history is a repository of such instances where the past is as relevent even today. Sana Durrani, the lead discussant, asked Verma multiple incisive questions that led to a seamless and enthralling discussion.
