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Camouflaged: Forgotten Stories from Battlefields
An Olympian army officer is ambushed and lost in the mountains after valiant action in the 1962 India–China war. The decorated war hero makes an incredible comeback and goes on to win an Olympic gold.
Amidst a raging insurgency in Kashmir in 2006, a militant gives up terrorism for love. His surrender leads to an unlikely friendship with an army officer, who gives him a second chance at life.
An Indian soldier in World War II defies the odds. He cheats death on land and sea on several occasions in a scintillating series of captures and escapes. His unconquerable spirit shines through this remarkable journey.
Amidst a raging insurgency in Kashmir in 2006, a militant gives up terrorism for love. His surrender leads to an unlikely friendship with an army officer, who gives him a second chance at life.
An Indian soldier in World War II defies the odds. He cheats death on land and sea on several occasions in a scintillating series of captures and escapes. His unconquerable spirit shines through this remarkable journey.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 20, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 20, 2024
The enemy are only 50 yards from us
We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to our last man and our last round.”
The above quote is by Major Somnath Sharma encapsulates the spirit of Indian army which is fourth strongest army in the world today. Every now and then our military personals have proven that under their protection we are safe from every threat posed at us from the enemy at the border and also from internal threats.
In this book author shares 10 unique stories of bravery exhibited by Indian soldiers across a time span ranging from 1912 to 2008. In part one we read about soldiers who take part in World War I and II during these battles our soldiers fought for England. According to a data by the end of WWI approx. 1.3 million Bhartiya soldiers fought and more than 74,000 sacrificed their lives across Europe, Africa and Middle East. Among them were heroes like Lance Daffadar Gobind Singh who was awarded The Victoria Cross for his exemplary courage and Naik Chanan Singh Dhillon in WWII who spent a tough time being a POW in German camps.
In second part, the book moves forward with stories from World war tales to independent Bharat. Ever since we got out independence, we have been into a series of conflicts with our “friendly neighbours”. Starting from 1947 itself (year of our independence when Pakistan aided raiders attached our Kashmir) we read story of an unsung hero Colonel Chhewang Rinchen who won Mahavir Chakra not one but twice which is a rare feat in Bharat’s war history. On plea of Major Prithvi Chand Chhewang Rinchen who was hardly 17 volunteered to be part of a local force and lead it against the Pakistani aided raiders, this force letter came to be known as “Nubra Guards”. Shri Chhewang Rinchen also holds the distinction of being the only awarded in the Sena decorated during every war he fought while in service. We also read tale of Colonel Harpal Kaushik who not only won a Vir Chakra in Sena but also won An olympic Gold and An Asian games gold medal in Hockey.
Now comes the third and final part of the book where we read about modern warfare. Saga of bravery exhibited by our soldiers during insurgencies and cowardly attack of terrorists in 2008 Mumbai. New time has brought new threats to the security of our country. Insurgencies and terrorism have become new faces of horror. In chapter 10 we read our NSG neutralised terrorists who attached Mumbai on 26/11. It was the very first time war straight came to our home. The way terrorist wreaked havoc in Mumbai and later how our brave NSG commandos and local police brought them to justice is a story that will shake you completely. Also what goes behind the Scenes, how security forces planned and how their family went through those emotions are also depicted beautifully in this book.
The book is written in a very beautiful fashion. It brings out stories of unsung heroes of our army who made ultimate sacrifice for our safety. Just like with his first book “Watershed” author Probal Dasgupta has done a tremendous work with this one too. It is a must read book and a tribute to our brave security personnel who tirelessly for work our safety.
We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to our last man and our last round.”
The above quote is by Major Somnath Sharma encapsulates the spirit of Indian army which is fourth strongest army in the world today. Every now and then our military personals have proven that under their protection we are safe from every threat posed at us from the enemy at the border and also from internal threats.
In this book author shares 10 unique stories of bravery exhibited by Indian soldiers across a time span ranging from 1912 to 2008. In part one we read about soldiers who take part in World War I and II during these battles our soldiers fought for England. According to a data by the end of WWI approx. 1.3 million Bhartiya soldiers fought and more than 74,000 sacrificed their lives across Europe, Africa and Middle East. Among them were heroes like Lance Daffadar Gobind Singh who was awarded The Victoria Cross for his exemplary courage and Naik Chanan Singh Dhillon in WWII who spent a tough time being a POW in German camps.
In second part, the book moves forward with stories from World war tales to independent Bharat. Ever since we got out independence, we have been into a series of conflicts with our “friendly neighbours”. Starting from 1947 itself (year of our independence when Pakistan aided raiders attached our Kashmir) we read story of an unsung hero Colonel Chhewang Rinchen who won Mahavir Chakra not one but twice which is a rare feat in Bharat’s war history. On plea of Major Prithvi Chand Chhewang Rinchen who was hardly 17 volunteered to be part of a local force and lead it against the Pakistani aided raiders, this force letter came to be known as “Nubra Guards”. Shri Chhewang Rinchen also holds the distinction of being the only awarded in the Sena decorated during every war he fought while in service. We also read tale of Colonel Harpal Kaushik who not only won a Vir Chakra in Sena but also won An olympic Gold and An Asian games gold medal in Hockey.
Now comes the third and final part of the book where we read about modern warfare. Saga of bravery exhibited by our soldiers during insurgencies and cowardly attack of terrorists in 2008 Mumbai. New time has brought new threats to the security of our country. Insurgencies and terrorism have become new faces of horror. In chapter 10 we read our NSG neutralised terrorists who attached Mumbai on 26/11. It was the very first time war straight came to our home. The way terrorist wreaked havoc in Mumbai and later how our brave NSG commandos and local police brought them to justice is a story that will shake you completely. Also what goes behind the Scenes, how security forces planned and how their family went through those emotions are also depicted beautifully in this book.
The book is written in a very beautiful fashion. It brings out stories of unsung heroes of our army who made ultimate sacrifice for our safety. Just like with his first book “Watershed” author Probal Dasgupta has done a tremendous work with this one too. It is a must read book and a tribute to our brave security personnel who tirelessly for work our safety.
August 8, 2025
In India and in Indian English the word HERO is very loosely thrown around for pretty much anything. It is often misused for Bollywood actors who have pretty much nothing heroic about them. Want to know about some real heroes and real superheroes/ superman ? This is the book. Camouflage is the collection of some of the legends that have served in the British Indian or the Indian army. Men who have defied the odds and shown extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of war. Some attained martyrdom and some survived, some in fact survived multiple times. These are extraordinary real life stories told by an ex-army man in the most engaging and captivating way possible. Real people that walked this planet and protected India at her borders. What a blessing to have them as fellow Indians and what a pride! I had only heard about Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and the highest sacrifice he made but the rest of the names were new to me. I can’t decide which story was the most standout. It would be fantastic if this book would and should become a bestseller. Hopefully someday a sensible and mature filmmaker (which is a rarity in Indian films) picks this up and makes a 10 part show and hopefully selects a mature ACTOR to play a HERO.
August 26, 2024
My first formal exposure to India’s role in the the Great War was through the book ‘Between Two Worlds: A Rajput Officer in the Indian Army, 1905-21: Based on the Diary of Amar Singh of Jaipur by DeWitt C. Ellinwood Jr.’
That beautiful book triggered my curiosity on the role of Indian soldiers before 1947. As a matter of coincidence soon after I finished that book came Dasgupta’s ‘Camouflaged’ which was, as they say, unputdownable!
But Dasgupta goes one step further as he chronicles the role of Indian soldiers in the years prior and post independence and writes with great élan and military writing with just the right amount of emotion to steer clear of drama and jingoism!
Of all the stories, my favourites in each phase were, ‘Three Lives in a war’, Stak and ‘militant and a major’
A must read for all Indians!
That beautiful book triggered my curiosity on the role of Indian soldiers before 1947. As a matter of coincidence soon after I finished that book came Dasgupta’s ‘Camouflaged’ which was, as they say, unputdownable!
But Dasgupta goes one step further as he chronicles the role of Indian soldiers in the years prior and post independence and writes with great élan and military writing with just the right amount of emotion to steer clear of drama and jingoism!
Of all the stories, my favourites in each phase were, ‘Three Lives in a war’, Stak and ‘militant and a major’
A must read for all Indians!
March 17, 2024
A book with clear story lines, captivating narration and focus on the human angles of the military stories. The selection of stories is eclectic, yet carefully curated. The stories contain shades of valour as well as human frailty, ambitions, and the lucky turn of events.
The protagonists and their actions have been placed in the context of their times, and the narration is never judgmental. There are stories from World War I and II, India's post-independence wars, insurgency tales, and anti-terrorist operations.
The protagonists and their actions have been placed in the context of their times, and the narration is never judgmental. There are stories from World War I and II, India's post-independence wars, insurgency tales, and anti-terrorist operations.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews