BOOK REVIEW OF OPERATION KHUKRI

 

 

Author : Major General Rajpal Punia

                   Damini Punia

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: Non-fiction

Book buy link:    https://www.amazon.in/Operation-Khukri-Successful-Mission-Nations/dp/014345336X

India has been the largest troop contributor to UN peace keeping missions since its inception. One such mission is OPERATION KHUKRI. The term KHUKRI, I quote from page 146 of the book, which was synonymous with the Gorkhas, who constituted half of the soldiers at Kailahun. Historically, “Khukri” denoted a strong character; it symbolised bravery and valour and hence it aptly depicted every Indian soldier in Kailahun.

Indian army’s motto: सेवा अस्माकं धर्मः; Service before self was well put into practice by General Punia and his team at various situations.

UN peace keeping helps countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace. Peace keeping by United Nations is a role held by the department of peace operations as “unique and dynamic instrument developed by the organisation as way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace.” Most of these operations are established and implemented by the United Nations itself, with troops serving under UN operation control. In these cases, peacemakers remain members of their respective armed forces, and do not constitute an independent “UN army” as the UN does not have such a force. UN peace keepers are often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their light blue berets or helmets. A United Nations peace has three power centers. The first is the special representative of the secretary General, the official leader of the mission. This person is responsible for all political and diplomatic activity, overseeing relations with both the parties to the peace treaty and the UN member- states in general. They are often a senior member of the secretariat. The second is the force commander, who is responsible for the military forces deployed. They are a senior officer of their Nation’s armed services, and are often from the nation committing the higher number of troops to the project. Finally, the chief administrative officer oversees supplies and logistics, and coordinates the procurement of supplies needed.  

The term “OPERATION” in terms of Indian armed forces is a coordinated action of a state or a non- state, in response to a developing situation. Operation may be a combat or non-combat nature and may be referred to by a code name for the purpose of national security. The book “Operation Khukri” is written by Major General Rajpal Punia and Damini punia.  As part of the “Operation Khukri”, Major Punia was awarded the prestigious Yudh Seva Medal (YSM) by the president of India in 2002. The Author shares his experiences of this mission and the bravery & professionalism displayed by 233 Indian soldiers.

“कौस्तुभमणेः अतिनैष्ठुर्यम्” these words of Great Sanskrit Poet Banabhatta of 7^th century A.D, in his work Kadambari describe the cruel nature of the precious stone called Kaustubha (Diamond).  In this book, the same  precious stone has created all the mess and it showed a bit of its cruel nature by disturbing humans with a thought to accumulate the wealth more and more. I quote from page 46, “Diamond was the root cause for the bloodiest civil war that was fought for over a decade in Sierra Leone, where thousands of people had lost their lives, with an equal number of survivors who had lost their limbs. I was shocked to learn how the luminous shine of the diamonds of Africa had diluted the red stains that painted the nation with the brush of barbarity.”

The book “OPERATION KHUKRI” present before the readers the struggle a soldier undergoes to accomplish a mission. These readers will cheer and understand the depth of the words “JAI JAWAN, JAI KISAN.”  They will also get a fair picture of the kind of valour &bravery which a soldier needs and to up keep the same, the moral boost an officer should offer at regular intervals, which General Punia makes it without fail.  Above all, the readers will get to see how an officer feels the responsibility for his team, encourages sports, imparts faith, appreciates accuracy, highlights the importance of flexibility and insists on a disciplined lifestyle.

  

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