Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform

by Rachna Bisht Rawat

On the morning of 8 December 2021, India's Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and his wife, Madhulika, said goodbye to their daughter, Tarini, and dogs, and left their Delhi home to board a flight for Sulur in Tamil Nadu. Around 11:48 AM they boarded an Mi-17 V5 helicopter that took off from Sulur to Wellington, where Gen. Rawat was to deliver a lecture at the Defence Services Staff College. Just a few minutes away from its destination, the chopper crashed, and all fourteen passengers onboard eventually perished. It was a sudden and shocking end to the life of a man who had risen like a meteor in the defence forces.

Bipin: The Man behind the Uniform is the story of the NDA cadet who was relegated in the third term for not being able to do a mandatory jump into the swimming pool; of the young Second Lieutenant who was tricked into losing his ID card at the Amritsar railway station by a 5/11 Gorkha Rifles officer posing as his sahayak; of the Major with a leg in plaster who was carried up to his company post on the Pakistan border because he insisted on joining his men for Dusshera celebrations under direct enemy observation; of the Army Chief who decided India would retaliate immediately and openly to every act of cross-border terrorism; of the Chief of Defence Staff who was happiest dancing the jhamre with his Gorkha troops.

Written by bestselling author Rachna Bisht Rawat and featuring in-depth interviews with Bipin Rawat's friends, family members and comrades, this book is a befitting tribute to one of India's greatest and most controversial Generals.

Genres: Biography, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published March 17, 2023

Reviews

[Sapna Bisht · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into the life of our country’s first CDS. I remember at our house, how hooked we were to our TV on the day of the tragic crash on 8th December, 2021. With tears in our eyes, fearing the worst but still hoping for some good news. My deepest condolences to the families of all the brave souls we lost on that dreadful day.

[Kakoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the narrative a little repetitive in places. As the title implies, the book will help you get to know General Rawat better as a person. Numerous interesting anecdotes shared by his relatives, fellow army colleagues, family, and friends show General Rawat's personality, making it an easy read.

[Ritvik · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my 4th time reading this book and every time I read it, I'm completely awestruck by the qualities that we inculcated by our beloved General. His punctuality, him being soft spoken and most important of all is being forthright with his views. Never letting things down and always taking them up, from entering the NDA to reaching so high in the army only that a new rank was created for him, it is truly mesmerizing.

There's a lot to learn from Bipin sir.

[Aryaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the book, I felt proud that India has had an Army Chief who was so successful yet so grounded. The way he loved to dance and to sing with his troops, spoke volumes about his charactor. What touched me the most was his connection to his class teacher from class 10th, M.s. Gunmala Singh. As successful as he was, no student at that position would have wanted their class teacher to be a hinderence in their private moments, as they prepared to celebrate their birthday. But not only did Mr. Rawat recognise his teacher but also cut the cake with her, and chose to be in touch from thereon. This discovery was extreamly comforting for me, as it provided me a moral ground to justify my connection to my school teachers to date, should someone ever ask me about it. God bless his soul, may god continue to bless the nation with more such officers like him who choose performence over pleasing the bureaucrats.

[Piyush Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The pahadi boy who went on to become the first chief of defense staff". This line was enough to excite me about this book.
The storytelling, the way of writing, information, facts etc all are combined together so perfectly that you will feel that you have time travelled back to Bipin Rawat's childhood, his tenure in the army and then his tenure as chief of defense staff. Would love to read more from @Rachna Bisht Rawat

[Nirav Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sneek peak in the life of first CDS of India, through accounts of family, friends and fellow army men. Interesting read.

[Sarthak Tyagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read........written so well that at each moment makes you feel like standing beside the great and respected general bipin rawat sir

[Rupin Chaudhry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brash straightforward bold honest nationalist. You can love him or criticise him but you just can not ignore him.
Kudos to the author for coming with another wonderful read.

[Poonam Dangi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Irritatingly repetitive

[Ankit Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant collection of memories dedicated to our 1st CDS, this book doesn’t only cast light on his life but also provides a roadmap for defence aspirants on how to live a life of dignity & honesty.

[Yoginder Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book, through interviews of those who knew Gen Bipin Rawat well brings out the human side of the General. An absolute treat for those interested in knowing the man behind the uniform.