Soljer Soljer: Third Gorkha Rifles

by Mahip Chadha

Soljer Soljer is a story based on an imaginary infantry battalion of the Third Gorkha Rifles - the Sixth battalion. The composition, training, camaraderie, and duties in all the other infantry battalions of our Army are almost the same except that certain customs undergo a change as they adapt to the ethnicity of the troops in that Regiment. So the visible changes would be the manner of the battle cry, salutation, greeting, decorum in festivity with the troops, or ceremonials in the Officer's Mess. There is no difference in the dogged determination or the ferocity in the will of troops of these troops in completing any mission allotted to their battalions! Colonel Mahip Chadha, whom I have not only known from our training days, but served with; has very clearly brought out the joys of the simple infantry life and the deeply embedded love, affections and stoic ethnic involvement that officers enjoy with their men. This is brotherhood in its purest form. The story is of Surinder Singh Sahni and his son Jaskaran who as father and son serve in the same battalion. Brigadier Sahni resigns from the Army due to domestic issues while his son enjoys a brief and very modern marriage thanks to considerate parents. Brigadier Sahni has to face terms with reality when he reads about the Indian POWs and later when his son is declared missing believed killed after a skirmish with militants from POK. His misery is compounded when his daughter in law has to suffer further privations, till she decides to fight the establishment by becoming a lawyer. The sacrifices made by the cowherds in rescuing Jaskaran are poignant and are noble. The book has a sprinkling of humour and the reader laughs at the follies of life. Mahip has told his story as an infantry officer would - straight, to the point and without beating about the bush which makes enjoyable reading!

220 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2011

Reviews

[Mahip Chadha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soljer Soljer

Colonel Mahip Chadha
AuthorHouse, 197 pages, (paperback) $16.95, 9781467067393
(Reviewed: October, 2012)
This novel tells the story of two generations of soldiers in the Indian Army, both serving in the same fictional battalion of the Third Gorkha Rifles. The story mainly focuses on the eldest, Surinder Singh Sahni, as he rises in the ranks and becomes a respected officer, but his son Jaskaran has a most unusual career, leading combat missions against terrorists. While Surinder's tale is more concerned with the routine of military life, with training, inspections, and postings to different camps, Jaskaran's is much more dramatic, involving pitched night assaults, amnesia, and unintentional bigamy. In fact, readers may wonder whether the novel should have starred Jaskaran.
While the novel certainly provides a strong flavor for life in the Indian military, many English-speaking readers may find it difficult going. The characters frequently speak entire paragraphs in various Indian languages, some of which are rendered into English afterwards, but some of which remain without a translation. The military jargon can also be difficult to decipher, especially when describing Pakistanis, variously referred to as "POK," "Pakis," and other names. In addition, an editor would have caught the numerous misspellings, punctuation errors, and overuse of exclamation marks and italics.
Still, the narrator's voice is quite distinctive and full of humor, and the locations described in such exotic detail will both entertain and educate readers willing to give the novel a chance. While perhaps not the best introduction to the subject, Soljer Soljer makes a powerful case for the virtues of India and its military.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
Author’s Current Residence
New Delhi, India