BOOK REVIEW : INDIA’S MOST FEARLESS 2
TALES OF BRAVERY
Tales of Bravery
are always an education – and if they are from our Armed Forces, then they are
not just an education, but also a pilgrimage and a journey into the rarified
environs of those people who give our country their all. In a fast moving
materialistic world, it does us civilians good to read of {and see, through the
attached images} the people who willingly take risks so that our country and
its people {people like us} – remain safe. And, if, like me, you are an Army
Brat – then it is a very special experience indeed; because to us these stories
touch close to our own memories…
THANK YOU FOR …
This is the 2nd
book written by Shiv Aroor; the first – India’s Most Fearless, reviewed here –
came out a couple of years ago. In it, I had made a couple of points, namely –
the equal coverage to the IAF and The Navy; plus the focus on the human aspect,
family aspect of the stories. This is the key point of this momentous collection
of stories – of which I hope there will be many, many more to come. As an Army
Colonel’s son {Dad was a Lt Col}, we had our own share of stories which stay
with us decades after leaving that life behind, as we moved into adulthood and
a civilian life. From and Army Brat – to the
authors Shiv Aroor & Rahul Singh, a
heartfelt thanks for bringing that side of an Armed Forces personnels life to
the public eye, and that too in such a caring fashion. Thank you, sirs!
WHAT IS SPECIAL IN THESE STORIES
There is much to
learn from these stories; apart from the obvious fact that these are real
stories of our brave soldiers, and what they go through, which is a learning in
itself. More than that, these stories bring many aspects of a Soldiers life to
you, and makes you appreciate them
better. And teaches you valuable lessons to boot. I had earlier observed the
balance given to the IAF and the Indian Navy; this is present in this book as
well. This helps give a much more
rounded view of our Armed Forces to us, the Civilian Public at large, which is
a valuable service being done by the authors.
I have spoken at
length on the families aspect in my previous review as well; let me leave it at
that for this review. The balance has also been highlighted both above and
before; so let us move on. In this book, it needs highlighting that the stories
bring to your attention in much more startling clarity that how much of a
service the Armed Forces life really is, with its peacetime bravery stories,
and how suddenly emergencies can arise even in the most benign of situations. This
helps to place the Armed Forces Career in a much clearer perspective among the
Civilian Public. Much more attention is needed through a lot more such stories
being told…
Needless to state,
the selflessness displayed by the Personnel in these stories is absolutely
mind-boggling; in each and every case, the personnel involved took unimaginable
decisions, took huge risks of life and career both, yet remained calm and
dedicated to the chosen task. The
bravery needs no mention in this review – it is obvious except for one thing,
and that is the lengths to which these soldiers kept aside all personal risks
and dangers for their teams, their tasks and their country. That is something
you must read and confront in your own heart. I use the word confront – and heart;
that is for a reason.
And that reason is
that,, confronting these behaviours shown by these soldiers helps you learn a
lot too – how to remain calm; how to take decisions, how to go about planning
and executing, how vital keeping your intellect and mind with you is, how vital
the smallest of hints can be, how important trust is in a team, what a true
Team Leader is {as different from a Manager}, what is dedication to task,
team and the larger goal, what true
commitment is, and much much more. This book is a veritable lesson in
Management, Tactical Execution, and Planning / Coordinating. Each story is a
standing practical lesson in all of these – and how you conduct yourself with
all stakeholders in any operation / task.
CONCLUSION
This is far more
than an anthology of stories, or a mere telling of bravery. It is much more
than that; it is a training manual for every reader in many many aspects of
life, be it execution or be it discipline. And in closing this review, a special
mention is a must for the authors once again – for so successfully writing a
memorable training manual of real stories, and for bringing out the nuances,
the details, for showing the care while treating delicate subjects like
families, and for bringing out so many small and big learnings for us, the readers. This is in addition to the
gratefulness for the authors I feel for writing these stories of our soldiers,
bringing their bravery so close to us through this book penned with love and
dedication!
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