Major General Rajpal Punia, YSM, an alumnus of Sainik School, Chittorgarh, was selected for the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla at the age of sixteen. He was commissioned into the Indian Army on 9 June 1984 and joined 14 Mechanised Infantry (16 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles). General Punia was the orchestrator of Operation Khukri while commanding a company as part of a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Sierra Leone. He commanded the oldest brigade of the Indian Army along the Line of Actual Control against the Chinese. He attended the National Defence College course in Thailand, and the United Nations Senior Mission Leaders course in Japan. He has the honour of commanding the prestigious Armoured Divison at Hisar. Under his command, he successfully controlled the Jat Agitation of 2017 and also vacated the Dera of Ram Rahim in Sirsa. He has had an illustrious career in the Indian Army spanning thirty-eight years. He is a fine orator and has been penning down his military experiences since the very beginning of his career. He is the author of the book, Operation Khukri: The True Story behind the Indian Army’s Most Successful Mission as Part of the United Nations, published by Penguin Random House India in 2021, which is soon to be made into a motion picture. He has also authored the book, A Soldier Speaks: Dil Se, published by Notion Press in 2022. The General Officer has numerous articles and research papers to his name.
<p>"A collection of anecdotes from Major General Rajpal Punia’s close to four decades in the Indian army, Rejoice in Adversity, Triumph in War is a rare, electrifying memoir. It is a testament to how the army is not a livelihood but a way of life, one that can transport you from a social soiree to a dangerous jungle in the space of a night, and where postings are often to places that the GPS cannot navigate to.</p><p>Punia’s dream of a career in the army began when he was ten years old and donned a Sainik School uniform for the first time. His career has taken him from patrolling the hotly contested Line of Actual Control to United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in warzones across the world. Among his many achievements was the peaceful evacuation of the Dera Sacha Sauda complex at Sirsa, now considered a textbook case for deploying armed forces in disturbed civilian areas.</p><p>This is an exciting, first-hand account of one of the most thrilling jobs in the world, and a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered about the men and women who serve in India’s armed forces."</p>
