A chronological, sequential narrative of the salient points in the IAF’s existence, from it’s pre-conception right up to the early part of the 21st century. It is written with a minimum of technical or political detail or professional jargon, and in an ‘easy to read’ format which should make it interesting reading for all levels of aviation and military enthusiasts!
While researching for my book about the Indian Air Force Himalayan Eagle - The Story of the Indian Air Force, I came across some very interesting details about the military/warrior traditions of India that seemed at odds with the general image of a country thought to be spiritual and pacifist - the Buddha and "Mahatma" Gandhi immediately spring to mind in this context. The details were intriguing enough for me to embark upon another ambitious project - to gather together and collate the data available on this Indian warrior tradition and its resurgence in modern-day India. This work is the presentation of certain pertinent details that are available in the open sources but told in a comprehensive, objective and readable form so that an interested reader gains a better understanding of India's little-known martial and warrior history! It is a narrative of the warrior/military traditions of India going back to its pre-Vedic roots and covers the birth of the Indian warrior caste, the Kshatriyas. How these warriors dominated among the empire builders, and how their pre-eminence was superseded by civilian rule, a change in the political scene of India that was to have ramifications from the 10th to 20th century CE. The title chosen for this work may confuse those readers who are aware that the emperor Ashoka eschewed violence for pacificism as a Buddhist. The lions in the title refer to the four represented on the Ashoka pillars at Sarnath, each facing to the points of the compass and which are symbolic of the present-day warriors of the country, the Indian armed forces, guarding against intrusions from any point.
While researching for my book about the Indian Air Force Himalayan Eagle – The Story of the Indian Air Force, I came across some very interesting details about the military/warrior traditions of India that seemed at odds with the general image of a country thought to be spiritual and pacifist - the Buddha and “Mahatma” Gandhi immediately spring to mind in this context. The details were intriguing enough for me to embark upon another ambitious project - to gather together and collate the data available on this Indian warrior tradition and its resurgence in modern-day India. This work is the presentation of certain pertinent details that are available in the open sources but told in a comprehensive, objective and readable form so that an interested reader gains a better understanding of India’s little-known martial and warrior history! It is a narrative of the warrior/military traditions of India going back to its pre-Vedic roots and covers the birth of the Indian warrior caste, the Kshatriyas. How these warriors dominated among the empire builders, and how their pre-eminence was superseded by civilian rule, a change in the political scene of India that was to have ramifications from the 10th to 20th century CE. The title chosen for this work may confuse those readers who are aware that the emperor Ashoka eschewed violence for pacificism as a Buddhist. The lions in the title refer to the four represented on the Ashoka pillars at Sarnath, each facing to the points of the compass and which are symbolic of the present-day warriors of the country, the Indian armed forces, guarding against intrusions from any point.
Set in the near future, an assertive Indian government is determined to regain territories lost to the Peoples' Republic of China after the disastrous 1962 Sino-Indian war and subsequent Chinese intrusions. Tibet is to be liberated as well, to right an old wrong. To this end, a young Tibetan woman, a student from the Tibetan diaspora in India is recruited and trained in espionage by India's premier spy agency to infiltrate her ancestral homeland to gather humint on Chinese activity along the Line of Actual Control between the two sides which would back up data gathered by India’s spy satellites and other electronic methods. Discovering some shocking information, the novice spy makes it back after a harrowing experience with news that alarms New Delhi. She is tasked with returning on an even more dangerous assignment which, if successful, would result in Tibet's freedom and the return of Indian land. She is eager to comply, for not only is her heart with her ancestral homeland but also with a young Tibetan resistance leader!
Tracing the Indian state's engagement with aviation, both civil and military, from the Second World War to the nationalization of airlines in 1953, this book argues that aviation played a critical role in state formation in modern South Asia.
The Forgotten Few is the first contemporary attempt to produce a historical narrative of the nation's contribution, specifically to the Air Force component, of World War II, which was an important part of our journey to Independence and national identity. Close to three million Indians served in uniform during the War. And yet, the Indian chapter of this globe-straddling story, reverberations of which still echo today, are barely known - a symptom of which was the recent controversy over the absence of Indians in the Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk. This book brings to light some of the lost stories of Indian aviators who built the very foundations of human and physical infrastructure for what is now the world's fourth largest air force. It benefits from several first-person interviews with some of the last Indian survivors of World War II, enabling a level of fidelity that is quite rare among Indian histories.
This is the story of an ordinary Pilot of the Indian Air Force during the early days of the Second World War. As a Seventh Course Pilot of the I.A.F. he gives his personal experiences of training and life in the Air Force, the aircraft flown, operations in the North West Frontier and against the Japanese in Burma.
This is the first time that an Air Chief is sharing his thoughts and memories with the reading public. His span of service covers a period of thirty-three years: from the end of 1939 to the beginning of 1973. It includes the Burma campaign of World War II, the restricted fighting in Kashmir in 1947 and 1948, the Chinese debacle in 1962 and the two full scale wars with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971. He had 4,274 hrs of flying with the Air Force to his credit and the experience of flying 58 types of aircraft from Wapitis to supersonic jets. In 1965 he was the Vice Chief of Air Staff and in 1971 the Chief. His honesty and forthrightness many readers will find engaging& but perhaps a few who were on the scene then may find them unpalatable. In a way this is the story of aviation in India, in particular of the Indian Air Force. It is a story of a real life adventure the genesis, growth and achievements of the youngest of the three defence services. Sir Winstom Churchill said of the RAF: Never before in the history of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. That is true also of the Indian Air Force. Though this does not purport to be a history of the Indian Air Force without it no history would be complete.
