The Bugle Calls: A Life in the Indian Army

by Naresh Rastogi, Kiran Doshi

September 8–10, 1965. Indian forces at Asal Uttar, though hopelessly outgunned and understrength, destroy the Pakistani armour.

September 11–12, 1965. The Indian Army follows up on that great victory with something incredible—and appalling.

December 4, 1971. Indian forces march into Bangladesh; time is of the essence; the US or China, or both, could enter the war …

December 7, 1971. Jessore falls. December 16, Dacca falls. December 17, Khulna falls. The entire Pakistani Army in Bangladesh surrenders.

The Bugle Calls is a candid, racy, humorous memoir of a life lived in the Indian Army. A roller-coaster of a book, every lap of it is filled with sights and sounds of the military, and of independent India’s biggest wars.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2019

Reviews

[Vinod Bhardwaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest view of life in of an officer in the Armed forces of India. Trait of Military leaders summed by Brigadier Jaswant Singh Sandhu. He said,'Soldiers are next to saints. Serving the nation in non family stations, always away from their loved ones,cheerfully accepting all hardships,always ready to lay down their lives...What are they if not saints.
Must read by youngsters to become an outstanding Military leader.
Kudos to Naresh Rastogi and Kiran Doshi
Thanks

[Tîgêr Spírìt · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. A wonderful rendition of one’s life. Could relate to many incidents of training which have been candidly brought out. Author is lucky as a soldier to participate in both the war’s.

[Rani Palta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book races through with humour and honesty, describing life in the army in the tumultuous 60s & 70s. The humanness and romance it brings out in every situation, indeed makes it an enjoyable reading.
Rani, an army daughter.

[Kartik Chandak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live a life less ordinary.
The above sentence briefs about the book in a very great manner.
From fighting the wars of 1965 & 1971 to the corporate job in Nigeria, the author takes the reader through a virtual tour.
You may have left the army, but the army never leaves you.

[S Tatas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really engaging read. Well written. The adventures of a likeable soldier in the Indian army. Worth reading.

[Sitendra Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is based on the experience of Lt.Col. Naresh Rastogi and gives a vivid account of what happened in 1965 and 1971 Indo Pak wars in the areas of operation where the author was involved It's authored by Kiran Doshi and Lt.Col. Naresh Rastogi .The author couldn't fathom the idea as to why Brig. David Sidhu, the Brigade Commander who was responsible for our victory in Asal Uttar was demoted to the rank of Colonel when he refused to go along with the wishes of the Army Commander to blame Colonel Bakshi for the fiasco of Khemkaran. It's to be noted that the victory in Asal Uttar which virtually became the graveyard of Patton tanks was a memorable one for which Brig. David Sidhu won kudos. But all his creditworthy work went down the drain when the question of blaming somebody for Khemkaran fiasco arose.What was Colonel Bakshi's fault? That he failed to connect with the troops of Lt. Col. Anant Singh when his troops had not even reached the spot where the connection was to take place. Why Lt. Col. Anant Singh forced to undertake attack on Khemkaran after being withdrawn from Burki inspite of the fact that his men were dogtired? Why obsession with the Saragarhi day to post victory? The attack could have taken place after 24 to 36 hours after giving the troops ample rest.The sad result was Lt. Col. Anant Singh and his 100 troops were taken as POW.Khemkaran remained in the hands of Pakistanis till the Tashkent declaration was signed on January 10, 1966.
The book throws question mark on army promotion policy.In spite of clearing the Defence Services
Staff College examination and making a mark during 1965 and 1971 Indo Pak wars, his claim for promotion to the rank of Brig. was overlooked as he had earned the displeasure of his two senior officers when the time was ripe for promotion. It happens in the army. Matter of chance.The book throws light on his family life, his travails and journey throughout his personal and professional lives and his post retirement job in Nigeria along with that of his wife after virtually having no saving in his army career, which gave him substantial savings to lead a comfortable life after retirement.
There were some emotional incidents described in the book when an Indian Brigadier and the Pakistani Brigadier who were earlier room mates during training met each other in the erstwhile East Pakistan near Khulna and Pakistani Brigadier surrendered to his Indian counterpart.
When the troops of Lt. Col.Naresh Rastogi were moving from Jessore to Khulna, a small contingent of Pakistanis in a Jute mill surrendered to him. One Pakistani JCO remarked; 'Pakistani Army is the best army in the world if it is manned by the Indian officers'. Another countered it and said; 'No, Pakistani Army is the best. It provides either a flat or a bungalow to every army man and the officer.From the date of joining, everybody has to contribute a specified amount on monthly basis.At the end on retirement, it accumulates into a tidy amount.Then he is offered a choice either to purchase a flat or a bungalow.The balance is to be paid at the time of retirement'.
It's all in all an enjoyable book.

[Yash Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bugle Calls, A Life in the Indian Army by Lt. Col. (Retd.) Naresh Rastogi tells us the story of a war veteran who shared his experiences of the 1965 and 1971 India-Pakistan wars and some interesting anecdotes related to the Indian Army. In fact, the author also shared his views about the Battle of Asal Uttar near Khem Karan in Punjab during the 1965 War, where Company Quartermaster Havildar (CQMH) Abdul Hamid (PVC) destroyed Patton after Patton and made Asal Uttar the 'Graveyard of Pattons' without any air support. Although this book is written by an Army personnel, you'll find humour in it, which makes it more enjoyable to read.

[Swateek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts slow, but gets gripping when talking about the wars. This book should definitely include a subscript that it has detailed story about the Battle of Assal Uttar.

I genuinely enjoyed the way the narration is written, and hadn't known quite a few war time stories that has been talked about here.

[Narendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it to be more in Army but the main events are touch and go, I can understand that those are normally not the things to discuss but this is a nice read however not much to expect, its light hearted... my expectations were high but I am not disappointed

[Prasenjit Sarkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candid

A candid lucid engrossing tale. Loved the way the story unfolds. Good read. Aptly described how you are treated when suddenly you face any problem in the government set up whether it is in the Army or Civil. When shits fly truly the seniors duck for cover.

[Priyanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is actually an interesting read, although a little stretched towards the end. It gives an interesting insight into the history of the Army and a view of the wars from a soldier's eyes as he is experiencing it. Overall, a good one.