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India's Most Fearless #2

India's Most Fearless 2: More Military Stories of Unimaginable Courage and Sacrifice

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Untold accounts of the biggest recent anti-terror operations

First-hand reports of the most riveting anti-terror encounters in the wake of the 2016 surgical strikes, the men who hunted terrorists in a magical Kashmir forest where day turns to night, a pair of young Navy men who gave their all to save their entire submarine crew, the Air Force commando who wouldn't sleep until he had avenged his buddies, the tax babu who found his soul in a terrifying Special Forces assault on Pakistani terrorists, and many more.

Their own stories, in their own words. Or of those who were with them in their final moments.
The highly anticipated sequel to India's Most Fearless brings you fourteen more stories of astonishing fearlessness,and gets you closer than ever before to the personal bravery that Indian military men display in the line of duty.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2019

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942 people want to read

About the author

Shiv Aroor

7 books45 followers
Shiv Aroor is an editor and anchor with India Today television, with over a decade’s experience covering the Indian military. He has reported from conflict zones that include Kashmir, India’s North-east, Sri Lanka and Libya. For the latter, he won two awards for war reporting. Aroor also runs the popular award-winning military news and analysis site Livefist, on which he frequently tells the stories of India’s military heroes.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
Profile Image for Supratim.
309 reviews459 followers
January 21, 2021
I had read this book last year, but never got around to writing a review. To be honest I was not exactly clear on how to articulate my review. This is not my usual world of crime fiction. These stories are true accounts of conflict featuring some very brave people who fought four our country and some of whom made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

This book is the sequel to the equally great India’s Most Fearless – the series is dedicated to bringing the stories of extraordinary courage and indomitable spirit of the Indian armed forces to the general public. There are fourteen such stories in this book – riveting accounts of our armed forces not only neutralizing the threats to our sovereignty or displaying supreme valour and presence of mind while protecting their comrade-in-arms from certain death. The reader will get to know the dangerous situations in which our armed forces operate, the split second decisions they are forced to make, and the sacrifices made by them and their families.

The book is quite well-written with a fine balance between the combat part and the personal lives of the defence personnel. It is certainly great to know a little bit about the person behind the uniform.

One thing that really stood out for me was a paragraph or rather a portion of a paragraph in the introduction. I am quoting the text verbatim – “But not for a moment is India’s Most Fearless a romanticization of conflict. If there’s one thing we’ve learnt in telling these stories, it is the silent and humble trust of every soldier that India will not send them into combat unless absolutely necessary. That their heroism comes at an enormous premium. And that the country would rather its soldiers were safe, then forced into a situation where they have to decide between life and death.”

I whole-heartedly share this belief. But, unfortunately we have to remember that we do not live in an ideal world. Warfare and massacres have been constant companions of the human civilization. Read the history of any continent. Weaker nations fell before more powerful enemies and in many cases had their own culture, religion, language and peoples wiped out. Earlier wars were fought between kingdoms and empires, but now we have proxy wars through terror groups as well. No matter how much we wish for this bloodshed to go away, it will continue to fester the world at least in the foreseeable future. We can only hope that maybe someday better sense will prevail...

Anyway I do understand that this book won’t appeal to all types of readers. People interested in the Indian armed forces or military non-fiction in general might want to check it out. But, please bear in mind that the stories revolved around people – you won’t get a broader picture of military strategy. I certainly feel that the authors have done a great job, and look forward to more books in the series.
200 reviews135 followers
February 18, 2022
"Killed, Maybe, but Never Caught"
~Maj Mohit Sharma

The story is about Maj Mohit Sharma's espionage and sacrifices. The main one being the elimination of a terror squad that had infiltrated Haphruda forest across the LOC. His team was surrounded by terrorists and their number was unclear. But the team was undeterred. He continued fighting despite being gravely injured. In the end he sacrificed his life in a fight that lasted 4 days and resulted in the death of 12 terrorists.

This is a story of great bravery and patriotism.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Profile Image for Mangelethe Sneha Menon.
75 reviews8 followers
February 22, 2020

Valour defines as "great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.", some of us must have heard about it while others could be clueless as to what it means or even care to inquire but for an Army Personnel, it is their everyday friendly fiend. Imagine your JOB profile says that every second of 24 hours you have to stay alert but with a calm mind, will you sign up for it? Think, waking up far from the warmth of your home in a snowy mountain with dangers lurking at every peak or deep in a submarine where there's no chance of even talking to your parents. That is what this personnel does, they smile in the face of travesty, they shake hands with danger and then there are days with an ache in their hearts for a loved one they go fighting for an idea called INDIA.

India's Most Fearless 2 tells stories of Heroes who have shown an exceptional spirit of courage and selflessness in their duty, the authors take us into the lives of soldiers of all 3 divisions of Indian Army Forces which comprises of the Indian Army, Indian Navy & Indian Air Force. Their story is recounted not just as a military viewpoint but we get a glimpse into their relationships. There's the one with Major Satish Dahiya who kept calling his wife asking her not to leave the house as he had a surprise delivery for that Valentine's day, there's that call Major Rishi Rajalekshmy makes to his Mom moments before he goes inside a building with a handful of explosives to flush out hidden terrorists, the dreaded moments when the Commanding Officers had to make the dreaded call to the martyr's parents/spouse informing them of the ultimate sacrifice their loved one had to make and the pride as well as pain displayed by these families. The admiration I have for the Army now extends without any question to their families & friends because what these people go through each day is not something simple or even understandable for an outsider like me. The authors have done an exemplary work bringing forth these stories (also the ones in India's Most Fearless) to the common folk who have always support, even revere the Armed Forces yet are unaware of the challenges these Men & Women face especially in areas of Kashmir where the hostility of the locals is a big issue.

Just remember, there's a soldier out there fighting for us right now and this book is a tribute to their sacrifice & Valour.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sarvesh Singh.
19 reviews
January 31, 2021
This is the first book ever to bring tears in my eyes and that to in every chapter. What the people in our defence services do is much greater then anything you see in a movie. This book is the best thing to describe all the actions , reactions and emotions any defence personnel and there family goes through. MUST READ!.
Profile Image for Ietrio.
6,936 reviews24 followers
July 1, 2019
The idiot trap. Get excited about "heroism". Than go kill for your masters. Of course, to bring piss to the World.
59 reviews
November 28, 2023
I would give it an extra 6th star for the pride, admiration and gratitude that the stories have created towards our Armed forces. Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh have dug out gems from the unheard stories of valor and sacrifice, which will swell your heart up with amazement thinking - how can a human be so brave and selfless! Each of the stories from the book can become a Netflix / OTT special because of the sheer wow factor. A must read for every Indian!
Profile Image for Divyanshu Pandey.
41 reviews7 followers
August 20, 2022
A story each day is recommended. As we need to keep small motivation doses regularly to keep up in high spirits
Profile Image for Dharin Upadhyay.
3 reviews
May 3, 2020
A book describing real life operations with enigmatic depiction makes this a page turner.
It contains stories of all three armed forces - army, navy and air force. Well researched stories showing, the much difficult conditions and hostilities faced by our soldiers even in "Peace time".

It shows, how dangerous a simple helicopter ride or routine fighter plane mission could turn out.
This book dives into real military operations, perfectly capturing valor and camaraderie of soldiers in adverse conditions.

One wonders while reading, how diverse our armed forces are, and how soldiers from various part of India with different cultures and backgrounds operate with synergy to achieve one common goal. Sacrifices made by families of armed forces are beautifully captured.

A fascinating and must read book...
Profile Image for Sidharth Mishra.
108 reviews
August 19, 2019
A must read. The author has done a great job of chronicling the stories of extreme valor and courage of our men and women in Armed Forces. As a nation, we are forever indebted to our Armed Forces. Reading this book helps one visualize what these folks go through to keep our nation safe and no amount of gratitude would be enough for their family members who despite the dangers associated with the job always support these heroes. Hope we as a country do enough for them.
Profile Image for Ankit Gupta.
169 reviews2 followers
February 26, 2024
The author has done it again.. or rather our armed forces have and will keep doing it again and again! These detailed stories about the sheer heroism of our armed forces make me marvel at the absolute grit and courage of these brave men/women; and my heart fills up with a sense of patriotism and pride! The encounters are in just the right amount of detail and the character building of the soldiers plays an integral part in the reader becoming a part of the situation. These stories play such a critical role in humanising these wars and hopefully they help in somehow preventing these wars/fights over petty border issues.. I can’t stop hoping about it in these tough times with two full fledged wars waging in our world right now!
Profile Image for Trinanjana.
239 reviews10 followers
December 22, 2020
It started with a late-night movie discussion and I was told that I should watch these movies more to understand a bit more about armed forces and politics around the world. Later we came to a point where we found we both share likeness towards a similar type of book. Moving forward, as I was reading this book I started thinking that how easy it is for us, civilians to look at the beauty of the uniformed soldiers and not think much about the sacrifices they and their families and friends make every single day for the nation. Soldiers young as 22, a soldier who just became father chose to give their life for us. Let that sink into us first. A collection of essays by two reputed journalists, India’s most fearless series will make you feel a spectrum of emotions, their courage, their brotherhood, solidarity, leadership, and at times it will make you emotional.

also, this book is a classic example of how certain audiobooks can absolutely butcher the reading experience. The unwanted pauses made the whole thing disruptive to a point that I grabbed the physical copy.
Profile Image for Poornima.
30 reviews23 followers
June 24, 2019
After reading the 1st part of this book, I had pre ordered this one on Amazon. As with the 1st one, each story in this book is well-researched, narrated without hyperbole and yet strikes a chord in you.

I was reading each story with awe, awe that such men exist, who jump readily into danger without a second thought. They do it for the nation or for their men, their brothers in arms?

The fortitude of their families and the men they have left behind is even more admirable. Their stories become fables in the circles of their brethren.

Thank you, Shiv and Rahul for these brilliant stories. These stories need to be told and heard, far and wide. That such men existed/exist amongst us, lest we forget.

Special mention about the drawings in this book. Detailed and neat work.
Profile Image for Arunayan Sharma.
Author 3 books32 followers
August 28, 2019
Heart touching real life stories of real Indian Army heros. Everyone must read this book to know their life and sacrifices made by them and by their families to defend our country and to protect us. The author's written very well manner and in depth details.
Profile Image for bookswithsakshi .
490 reviews42 followers
August 10, 2020
India's Most Fearless 2

When I recently shared my opinion about the first part of this book, I got so many amazing responses from people who truly value our soldiers who are constantly on border to protect us.

Just like India's Most Fearless 1, this book is a collection of fourteen stories holding accounts of recent anti terror operations. India's Most Fearless 2 tells us stories of heroes who have shown so much of courage and selflessness in their duty towards this mother land. Author is taking us on a journey where we get a glimpse of the lives of soldiers of all three divisions of Indian Army Forces.

This book is completely unadulterated and you will realize this when you read this.

These stories are majorly told from the point of view of people who witnessed the same or the people who were with them. More or less, this book can actually be a page turner for people who love to read about the bravery of soldiers.

Books like this are extremely important as they talk about real heroism rather than a fictional one. Definitely we can't do even 1% of what our soldiers do for us but we can always remember them in our prayers and feel thankful to have someone guarding us 24*7*365 selflessly.

Language in this book is lucid so it won't give you a hard time to read and understand this book, in case you rarely read books.

I feel that more authors should come out and talk about real wars, real fights, real struggles ( be it mentally or physically) and empower their readers rather than destroying their minds.

The best part about this is that author has very well focused on "attention to the detail" and has well described the daily struggles of soldiers and their families which makes it even more personal to read and cherish for life.
Profile Image for Keshav Nair.
298 reviews
December 31, 2020
Inspirational Chronicles

An excellent assortment of first-hand stories of brave Indian soldiers who have not only relentlessly safeguarded the boundaries of our nation but furthermore displayed outstanding leadership in protecting their teammates on numerous occasions of hostilities and difficult crises. A few of them have laid down their lives in the line of duty. The book narrates precarious circumstances in which our armed forces operate, be it any battalion of the Indian Army fighting terrorism in Kashmir or any other counter-insurgency operations, or the airforce pilots who retaliate their comrade's death or helms his malfunctioning plane to a safe landing or the brave naval officers, who displayed exemplary valor to save the crew of their submarine. Each of these stories has three common elements as summarized - untold bravery, tactical decision making, and supreme sacrifices by soldiers and their families. The author has done thorough research, dived deep into each incident, and brilliantly brought out the details of each operation. This is the second book in the sequel and deserves to read by all youngsters in schools and universities that will not only be an inspiration for many young Bravehearts to join the armed forces, but also a testimony to the fact that while we sleep in the comfort of our homes, there is a platoon of brave soldiers who are guarding our sovereignty while facing extreme adversities with a smile. With a respectful military salute to these soldiers, I wish and hope that the author writes many more such chronicles in the years to come. I have thoroughly loved reading both editions of the book and looking forward to reading more. A perfect 5-star rating for this book.
21 reviews
February 23, 2020
Indian authors and movie makers work on very few subjects related to India's fight against terrorism. This is probably due to our ignorance and indifference to what it takes to defend a nation.

A refreshing change in this attitude is being spearheaded by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. Second part of their series, India's Most Fearless, this books captures the bravery of some of the exceptionally talented Indian warriors. The book brilliantly captures their real life achievements. It is also very moving for the readers as these brave men put our nation above all, including their own lives.

For the readers, each warrior's story is covered in a chapter and there are 14 such chapters. Narrative is edge of the seat kind. Each chapter starts with an action in progress, then goes on to cover background and finally comes back to the action where it left. Warriors from Indian Army, Air Force and Navy are covered.

A must read for all Indians. Just think of those 30-second TV news items or a few paragraph articles in newspapers that say something like "Anti terrorist operation concluded. 3 terrorists killed, 1 soldier martyred". We, almost insensitively, read it like a football match score line and move on to other news. This book is the story of that 1 martyred soldier, that other wounded soldiers, that operation where those terrorists were neutralized, the planning that went into that operation. This book is about the absolute bravery, passion, patriotism and skills of our soldiers who guard our nation at all the times.
Profile Image for Sudhanshu Parashar.
Author 3 books4 followers
May 7, 2021
"Mohit's father, Rajender Sharma, a retired employee of the Punjab National Bank, says, 'Our life has come to a standstill after Mohit left us. Nothing can fill the void he has left behind. We miss our son every moment of our lives. It's a wound that will never heal. My wife and I often talk about his childhood and go through our old photo albums. Mohit would always say that if he lived, he would rise to the rank of General, but if he was killed in action, he would earn the top-most gallantry award.'

On 15 August 2009, Maj. Rishma would receive her husband's posthumous Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, from Pratibha Patil, the then President. Rishma had last spoken to her husband the morning he died."

We Indians have become habitual to news of our soldiers getting killed in action. It is very comfortable for us to take that casually. But when you read the first hand accounts of their operations and the conditions in which they serve our nation, it shakes you from inside. It is very hard to believe what they go through. Emotionally, it is very hard to face what their families go through when they are gone. Never in our lives we can pay back these brave souls and their families. Never.
Profile Image for Yash Sharma.
362 reviews17 followers
September 26, 2025
India's Most Fearless 2 by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh is a collection of fourteen tales of bravery, sacrifice, and the indomitable spirit of the soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces, be it the infantry, the navy, or the air force. The stories mentioned in this book on the Indian Army tell us about the courage of soldiers like Major Mohit Sharma, who was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, and the tale of Major Rishi Rajalekshmy of Kerala, who in 2017 in Jammu and Kashmir got badly injured while fighting the terrorists but didn't give up, and for that act of bravery, he was given the Sena Medal. Each story not only tells us about the culture and ethos of the Army of India. But it also shows the brotherhood and camaraderie between soldiers. I highly recommend this book to all the Indians.
178 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2019
This has now evolved into a fascinating series on the valour, determination and grit shown by the men and women in the defence Forces. I believe this book is better than the first in the sense that the writing is more compact and details are etched out better. Like I noted in the earlier review, I think the bravery shown by the men and women in the Airforce and Navy surpasses others. They have worked against hostile elements, malfunctioning machines and were mostly alone in their efforts. I hope the authors will now write about bravery in the CAPFs also. The men of the BSF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB also deserve that their stories be told. Kudos to Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh for making us once again proud of the 'Heroes that walk amongst us'!!!! Yeh desh hain veer jawano ka!!!!
Profile Image for Ajay Sant.
36 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2020
Following up on the book "India's Most Fearless" this book brings more courage stories from the Indian Armed Forces. The points that strike you while reading these stories are the details and backstories to the simple news update which we get every few days about soldiers being martyred on the front lines.

When we hear news about a soldier sacrificing his life for his motherland the news does not tell the details of the operation where the officer put his own life to protect his jawans. Deep down he knows that the life of the men he commands is his responsibility and that if something were to happen to them he would not be able to face himself.

The stories of the 2 men who in order to save the submarine crew isolated themselves in the compartment with fire inside the submarine and kept battling the fire to save the submarine makes you wonder how one can put oneself in danger voluntarily. The story of a Garud commando who could not sleep until he avenged his fallen comrade with the terrorist shows the level of bonding they have with there men.

These stories go on to tell us the kind of dangers these men deal with day in and day out irrespective of whether we are in war or peacetime.

I would say these stories of men and women should be taught in schools and popular newspapers and magazines for it is because of them we can sleep peacefully at home.

Jai Hind
Profile Image for Harshitha.
17 reviews
March 28, 2020
The one who feels Indian Soldiers work only when there is an emergency should read this book, your hallucination will fade away within these 14 stories. The language is very simple, beginners can read it peacefully. The only complicated words used are the terms related to army, navy or air force like their specific terms. But even those words have glossary right below their respective page. I guess it would have been better if mentioning of few more female soldiers were there, because the book only emphasizes on Male. Well, females are not involved in battles I agree to that fact, but there are few female Indian Police, who have shown their courage and presence of mind in most difficult sitautions. For eg : Kamlesh Kumari (Parliament Attack 2001).
51 reviews
November 1, 2020
The author duo started from where they left. The second book of the series tells us a few more stories about more Bravehearts. The compilation is very good and without any entertainment and mostly giving brief details of their missions. Missions don't need to be always hunting sometimes it's about saving the lives of the common man. the reader comes to know about the challenges faced by our armed forces and how they overcome the same without complaining. there is so much noise about creativity in our corporate world but when it comes to delivering we fail miserably and try to find out excuses or blame something else. reading the book you come to know what is called the adverse and hostile situation to perform and come out clean.
Profile Image for Pratik Bharat Palor.
Author 8 books5 followers
August 3, 2023
'India's Most Fearless 2' will give goosebumps of sheer pride & respect to 🔟 out of 🔟

Stories of warriors and their families may be common, but this kind of narration and storytelling is certainly not. This book does justice not only with the gritty & thrilling details of the war scenes, but also respectfully touches the personal & family side of the soldiers.

Indeed a great tribute to those who stand tall and strong for us, in the line of fire. Gathering such specific and detailed account of these stories must have been a laborious yet heartwarming task. Kudos to the Authors.

#pustak_darpan #book #review #bookstagram #memoir #war #soldier #army #military #family #pride #nation #emotion #bravery
Profile Image for Sanjaypennam.
18 reviews
April 25, 2020
Great read.
While we debate here in India on the mundane things like whether or not to stand up for the national anthem, there are soldiers out there defending the country with the very anthem as the heartbeat. Freedom and safety are things we take for granted. We need to remind ourselves that they come at a huge sacrifice from our soldiers and their families. The detailed accounts of their life made me realise how smart, tactical, brave and honourable our soldiers. Honour and bravery is something of a rarity in an average human life. It is refreshing know that there are people out there who live by it, day in and day out. The least we can do for these heros is to remember them.
Profile Image for Kriti Rathore.
41 reviews3 followers
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October 7, 2020

I was not willing to read this book but my friend was adamant that I should go for it. I am beyond glad. There can be no one greater than Indian defense doing selfless duty for the country, for us. Soldiers as young as 23 yrs are martyred, wonder what their parents, partners, children go through.

This book comprises of chapters depicting missions across borders, loc, and especially Kashmir Valley. Yes, I cried after each chapter, just reading about the martyrdom was scary. Mesmerizing and heart pounding missions by special forces of our military has been depicted in a straightforward and real way.

Please read this book, you wouldn't regret it.
1 review
July 8, 2020
Excellent and Immersive

Kudos to Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh for bringing this brilliant book, portraying the valour of our braves. Being journalists of repute, they did full justice to the story line, making it as realistic as possible. Why do we need to read about Mossad or CIA when we have all the mix here. It was just that we lacked Indian writing , of quality and repute. I think thats over with this book. Do read it. Respect to all our braves who faught bravely in the call of duty
Profile Image for LyricTrotter.
158 reviews
October 12, 2022
Inspiring beyond measure, the stories and recollections in this second installment emanates the rare true grit only the most distinguished are bestowed upon. This book motivated me greatly, and emotionally obliged me to cherish the peace and luxuries I am entitled to. I am deeply grateful to the authors for putting put the lives of these bravehearts on ink, and the bravehearts in uniform, who risk their lives, their profession and the peace of their families so that we can have a tomorrow- peaceful, safe and better.
Thank you.
Profile Image for Santrupth Kumar.
18 reviews
March 12, 2020
If you're not in any way associated with the indian army, air force or navy, this book is your POV into that world. Your heart races experiencing the situations as they happen page after another. I was sweating at one point with the fan running Such thrilling encounters that men and women from the defence indulge themselves, you're only thankful for what they do so you can live at peace.
Hope there's no end for this series "India's Most Fearless"
Profile Image for Payel Rana.
225 reviews
July 8, 2021
The book makes me feel such pride and yet ashamed at the same time.
Pride over these many unsung, unheard real time war heroes who either battle or prepare to battle every single waking day of their military lives and ashamed for why these heroes and their stories remain unheard of by the public for so long.
We've just had 1 movie Uri..I hope each of these stories get told and re-told over the generations to come.

#24 of 2021
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews

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