Takshashila and HarperCollins India Conduct Book Discussion of India’s Wars

Takshashila and HarperCollins conducted a book discussion of Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam’s new book titled India’s Wars at the Air Force Officers Mess, Trinity Circle, Bengaluru on 17 October 2016.

The participants of the discussion comprised AVM Arjun Subramaniam, Vice Admiral PJ Jacob (Retd), Air Marshal Phillip Rajkumar (Retd), and Lt Gen K Nagaraj (Retd), and was moderated by Nitin Pai, Director of Takshashila Institution.

About the book

The armed forces play a key role in protecting India and occupy a special place in people’s hearts. Yet, standard accounts of contemporary Indian history rarely have a military dimension. India’s Wars seek to give India’s military exploits their rightful place in history. Beginning with a snapshot of the growth of the armed forces, it provides detailed accounts of conflicts from Independence to 1971: the first India-Pakistan war of 1947-48, the liberation of Hyderabad and Junagadh, the campaign to evict the Portuguese from Goa in 1961, and the full-blown wars against China and Pakistan.

At the same time, India’s Wars is much more than a record of events. It is a tribute to the valour of the men and women in olive green, white and blue in the hope that it reaches out to a large audience, especially the youth. It highlights ways to improve synergy between the three services and emphasises the need to declassify material about national security. Laced with veterans’ exhilarating experiences in combat operations, India’s Wars fuses the strategic, operational, tactical, and human dimensions of war with great finesse. Deeply researched and passionately written, it unfolds with surprising ease and offers a fresh perspective on independent India’s history.

About the author

Arjun Subramaniam is a serving Air Vice Marshal in the Indian Air Force. A fighter pilot who has commanded a fighter squadron and a large flying base, he also has a Ph.D. in Defence and Strategic Studies.