Gorkha Hat And Maroon Beret is a personal memoir of four decades of life in the Indian Army, as experienced by Lieutenant General Chandra Shekhar, former Vice Chief of the Indian Army (1997-2000). It recounts the rewards and rigours of his long and distinguished military career, after he was commissioned in the 2/4 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1959. The book additionally contains larger reflections on the ethos and training of the Indian Army, and its seminal role in shaping the lives of not just military personnel, but the entire nation.
It also records valuable insights and suggestions about the way in which the institutional framework of the Indian Army can be further strengthened, especially after the experience of the Kargil War, at which time Lieutenant General Chandra Shekhar was the Vice Chief of the Indian Army.
Written in an engaging style, and from the vantage point of his varied command and staff experiences in various defence formations all over the country, the book is published at a time when 200 years of the raising of the first battalion of the famed Gorkha Rifles have just gone by. It will be of lasting interest to military and laypeople alike.
Excerpt from a review of the book by Major General R Naidu:
“Gorkha Hat and Maroon Beret” was so riveting that I
finished it in one sitting on a train journey. It is the story of an eventful
life in the army. A sense of excellence is evident at every step - in school
and college days; first time success in the entrance exam for the NDA;
superlative gradings in all the formative courses; promotion to the highest
rank as a natural result of excellence at each rank. There never was an
occasion for a representation as is the wont even in senior ranks of late.
To add to it, ancestry – a soldier father with soldierly
virtues which were so obviously implanted for integrity and industry; physical
fitness and ability in sports as a result of the background of a hardy child of
the mountains; the genes of a hill boy so suited to a life in the army and that
too in the infantry.
Moving on to the land mark achievement of the command of the
Para Brigade with great distinction; the jumps accomplished in such short
order; and the transition from an operations and training-addicted leader to
looking after the welfare and comforts of the troops as the Army Commander of
Central Command, speaks highly of a human and humane side of the author.
The Kargil Operations
discussed in the book, throw up many issues for critical observation and
reflection. Only our troops can react the way they did once we decided to take
action to evict the intruders. All in all, a great book and of great value to
the service readership.
Major General R Naidu
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Chandu entered the NDA during my final term so we had minimal contact. Subsequently we met often and kept a watch on each other's career in the Army. My wife like him hails from Pithoragarh, Kumaon, and and is related in through many links.
ReplyDeleteA simple, hard-working, and dedicated soldier from the hills, with very few personal desires, strongly influenced by the high moral character of his illustrious father who served honourably in the British Army and left a deep impression on his children through practice of the precepts; that is the background of Gen Chandrashekhar who had an illustrious and chequered career in the Army spanning four decades.
it is an honest account from an officer who overcame the handicap of being a simpleton unaware of the tricky ways of many others.
in the beginning the book is in racy style but as he rises in the rank it becomes more in the style of a training manual with the noble intention of improvement in the Defence Services and the Safety and Honour of our country.
Regarding the meritorious not getting the chancce for the overseas postings, since some extraneous powers come into play, over the years I've developed a different line of thinking. The selected panelists are very high on their performance achievement. The list is not necessarily that the topper would perform much better than the next. They all are competent. If some Regimental considerations tilt the selection, so be it. The strong Regimental ties, and bondages bring in that Loyalty which culminates into the Loyalty to the country.
My one piece of disappointment was that though the General had a close pow-wow with Gen musharaf, but he did not give us his personal views and opinions on the delicate manner in which the coup was executed or Musharaf planned and executed Kargil Operations.
On the whole a readable book especially for the Armed Forces aspirants and must have sufficient copies in the Libraries especially in the Army and Unit Libraries.
Wishing him All the Success