A Soldier Recalls

Autobiographical reminiscences of an Indian Army officer.

Born in 1926 Lt Gen SK Sinha was commissioned in the Army at the age of 18. He was awarded the Commandant’s Batan, the war time equivalent of the Sword of Honour for being the best all round officer cadet of his batch.

He saw combat service in Burma and Indonesia during the Second World War. He played an important part in the planning and conduct of operations during the first Indo-Pak War in 1947. He has held senior command and staff appointments and was awarded the highest military decoration, PVSM, for ‘service of the most distinguished order’. After his stint as GOC-in-C Western Command, he was appointed Vice Chief of Army Staff for a short period.

His surprise supersession for the top appointment caused shock and dismay in the Army, and came under lot of controversy.

General Sinha’s prompt resignation from the Army and the dignified stand taken by him made him a national figure overnight. Eventually he took to politics but retained his independence by not joining any political party and identified himself with the opposition and engaged in the crusade against the creed of dynasticism, the culture of sycophancy and the cult of corruption. Already well known as a military historian and thinker of repute, he has now emerged as a political analyst contributing nearly 200 articles in National newspapers and delivering lectures on current issues throughout the country.

During the tenure of the National Front Government General Sinha was India’s Ambassador to Nepal. This was a time when Indo-Nepal relations had hit their nadir and the people of the Himalayan Kingdom were engaged in a bitter struggle for democracy.

The autobiography, A Soldier Recalls, recounts all the details of the eventful life of a distinguished soldier with marked humility and great objectivity