Ulysses S Grant Facts

There is a building at the entrance to the Military area in Mumbai, called ‘Adarsh’. One cannot help seeing it, as it rises 31 story’s into the sky. One could perhaps ignore it, but for the fact that this building was meant for widows of martyrs who dies during the Kargil War. It was also supposed to be a 7 storey building.Thus by making it a 31 story building all coastal zone regulations was flouted.

Eat as much cooked food as possible to avoid stomach infections. Fruits bought from the street vendor must be washed before you eat them. There are a number of good eating joints and grocery stores where you can buy/eat healthy food and drink items. If you are going on a trek or visiting a village, carry mineral water bought from a good store in the city. (Check the seal of the bottle before you buy to avoid buying a fake. Bisleri and Kinley are some reputed water brands.) The key is to eat hygienically prepared food and not give up on the mouth-watering delicacies. Be cautious, not a paranoid!

The entire charge of the expedition was given to the British Join Indian Army. Sir Robert Napier was appointed as the commander for the operation. The commander estimated that there would be a requirement of 12000 soldiers. From India, nearly 13000 troops were dispatched. 8000 laborers and thousands of horses, hundreds of camels and elephants were also sent for the purpose.

Manohar Malgonkar was born in 1912 and had his education at Bombay where he graduated in English and Sanskrit. Manohar could trace his lineage to the royal family with roots in Goa and after graduation he took to big game hunting and also shot 8 tigers. But he soon gave up the sport and became a staunch conservationist of wild life.

We said yes and thanked him for the coffee. The Malay boy and I felt 10 feet tall the way Tunku treated us in front of the three rich and powerful guests.

It is a fact of history that the Indian Air Force did not take part in the operations. It has never been satisfactorily explained as to why the IAF was not used in close support operations. Who took the fatal decision not to deploy the IAF. Was it Nehru, the Army Chief General Thapar or the Air Chief. There is no answer to this question. Perhaps the only plausible answer is that fear of the unknown and retaliation by the PLAAF based in Tibet may have clouded the thought process. This shows a psychosis of fear that at that time pervaded the Indian Government and Armed Forces.

School books told us that India never accepted the creation of Pakistan and their army would invade Pakistan the first chance they got; we would then be forced to lead terrible lives, just like Muslims in India lived a life of servitude and backwardness.

All this is mentioned by Air Vice Marshal AK Tiwari in his article in the Indian Defense review. Much water has flowed down the river since then, but future generations must be made aware that the psychosis of fear must never govern a military decision. This is unfortunately what happened in 1962. As per AVM AK Tiwari ‘In final analysis the use of combat air power would have turned the tables on Chinese and the 1962 war could well have been a debacle for China.