In the nearly 79 years since Independence, few decades have had greater impact on the course of our nation’s history than the 1980s. Insofar as the Indian Army is concerned, few Generals have changed its course as General Krishnaswamy Sundarji, coincidently during the same period.
It was a stormy era with its share of highs and lows, all of them shaping our destiny. General Sundarji, and with him the Indian Army, either played a part in those years or were witness to the events. The massive movements and manoeuvres of battlefield-simulated exercises like Digvijay and Brasstacks demonstrated the Indian Army’s potential and unshackled its conservative mindset. Later, standing up to the Chinese in Sumdorong Chu and the victory over Pakistan in Siachen boosted the Army’s confidence and overall morale. Conversely, Operation Bluestar and the mishandling of Operation Pawan left deep scars on the Army’s psyche.
The book is divided into 11 chapters, each devoted to a separate episode or event. Yet it reads like a seamless narrative that weaves sequentially through each of them in a continuous flow from ‘Beginnings’ to ‘Epilogue’. The author’s accounts are supported by detailed and incisive research of specific incidents, corroborated by personal interactions with those who lived through them along with Gen Sundarji, adding credibility to them. Some accounts like those of the tragic bloodbath following Partition, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi or the bold, relentless pursuit of rebels in Congo, among others throughout the book, are gripping.
The biography reads like a story. An unbroken thread of Gen Sundarji’s life runs through it. Its peaks and troughs make for a riveting script. There are fairly detailed accounts of the Bofors controversy, Operation Brasstacks as well as the decision to adopt a ‘forward defence’ against the Chinese and standing up to them in the Sumdorong Chu incident.
While Operation Brasstacks hit traditional rival Pakistan like a tsunami and gave Sundarji a special identity, the series of reverses in Operation Pawan was probably the nadir of his otherwise brilliant career.
General Sundarji was a visionary with exceptional foresight, imagination and a style of leadership that was unique in its own way. A man of action, he had a definite image of how he wanted the Indian Army to be. He knew he had a tenure of 820 days as the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) and had planned accordingly. Among the first things that he did on taking over was to write to all serving officers of the Army to spell out what he expected from them! His strongest assets were his intense patriotism, a staunch sense of loyalty to the Army and a missionary zealousness. His eagerness and urgency sometimes gave an impression of a man with a lot of bluster and swagger.
He was, however, fortunate that his ideas found favour with the political leadership of the time, first with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and later Rajiv Gandhi.
He initiated thinking and studies of the nuclear domain, which till then had probably been given little thought or attention. His notable contribution to national security was articulating the nuclear doctrine along with K Subrahmanyam and Dr Raja Ramanna.
The book gives enough insights to the readers to understand what General Brasstacks was really like. His qualities of head and heart were truly admirable. Known for his high intellect honed by extensive reading and cerebral qualities, some of his audacious decisions seemed to defy logic. He was open-minded in paying attention to the views of his subordinates, yet stubborn enough to ignore them! This dichotomy appears to have been brought about by some of his triumphs early in his life, but also led to unfavourable outcomes later.
His audacity against the Chinese caused the latter to blink first, yet the same against the LTTE in Operation Pawan bordered on hubris.
In fact, the author feels that people either loved him or hated him. That conclusion probably comes from how one balances his achievements and reverses.
The author’s astute observation that Sundarji was more comfortable fighting uniformed adversaries in conventional wars than fighting civilians or countrymen was borne out by his lack of understanding and patience to tackle complex issues, like the insurgency in Sri Lanka posed.
Some of the omissions and errors of grammar detract from the otherwise high literary quality of the book. The Jawahar tunnel has been mentioned in the context of the military operations in 1947-48 whereas it was constructed during 1954-56. Similarly, it was the Ceasefire Line (CFL) that came into existence when the fighting stopped in 1949; the LoC was a product of the Simla Agreement of 1972. Some of the errors of syntax and spellings appear to have gone undetected. The quality of maps could have been better to make them more useful.
A biography is, by definition, history. ‘General Brasstacks’ is that and more. It gives a peek into a well-curated time capsule of events since India’s Independence, with special emphasis on the 1980s in which General Krishnaswamy Sundarji was an important protagonist.
— The reviewer is former GoC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps
