In the essays that comprise The Indian Army: Reminiscences, Reforms & Romance, Lieutenant General H.S. Panag examines burning questions surrounding the Indian Armed Forces: their exploitation by neo- nationalists; an intrusive media’s projection of the army as the sole flagbearer of patriotism; the obsession with Pakistan as an impending threat to national security; the intense militarisation of Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370; and equal opportunities for women in combat, among other issues.

Divided into six sections – Human Rights, Reforms, Leadership, Reminiscences, Conflict and Unforgettable Heroes – the book compels the reader to think deeper and with greater nuance about a much- discussed and much-maligned institution. The Indian Army is also a glimpse into the General’s own life, and reveals hitherto unknown aspects of his long career in the army. A writer who straddles the serious and the idyllic with equal ease, he unequivocally condemns the tying of a citizen to the bonnet of an army jeep in Kashmir in 2017 in one piece, and in another tells the intensely passionate, albeit tragic love story of a soldier and a Kashmiri girl.

As candid as it is incisive, The Indian Army is a must-read for every Indian who has stopped to think about the powerful institution that the army is.