Lt Gen. Ramesh Kulkarni was commissioned in the Garhwal Rifles Infantry in June 1956. Gen. Kulkarni commanded a battalion of the Garhwal Rifles in high altitude areas of Arunachal Pradesh in 1971-73 and was the Commandant of the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre from 1979-81. He then commanded an Infantry Brigade in the northern areas of Nagaland during the counterinsurgency from 1981-83. He went on to command an Infantry Division from 1987-89. In the course of his tenure, Gen Kulkarni was the recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. Anjali Karpe is the Deputy Head and Head of student life at the Bombay International School in Mumbai. She teaches English literature and history to secondary and high school students.
<p style="padding: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span class="a-text-italic" style="font-style: italic !important;">Kulkarni's reminiscences of valour, heroism and courage on the Siachen glacier are like an action-packed thriller. The reader will find operational details, including many 'fog of war' situations, informative. Even more interesting are his stories of human nature in the battlefield.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">- Gen. V.P. Malik</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span class="a-text-italic" style="font-style: italic !important;">It is a very different war that Indian soldiers fight in Siachen, and Lt Gen Kulkarni's book explains that through his personal experience. There is no enemy to be seen. The mountains are the real enemies.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">-- Harish Kapadia, mountaineer</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="font-weight: 700 !important;">The commander depends on his troops for the actual execution of plans, but the burden of decision-making rests with him. He will bask in the glory of success, but he must also face the brunt of failure.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In 1984, amid escalating tensions at the border between India and Pakistan, the Indian Army raised the 28 Infantry Division in Ladakh, which was responsible for safeguarding the entire northern stretch of the Indian border, including the Line of Control with Pakistan and the Tibetan/Chinese area of the Karakoram Pass.</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span class="a-text-italic" style="font-style: italic !important;">Siachen, 1987: Battle for the Frozen Frontier</span> tells the story of Lt Gen. Ramesh Kulkarni's command of this infantry division, giving readers the rare opportunity to view the Siachen glacier and the army's involvement in the region through the lens of a commander.</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This memoir gives a blow-by-blow account of the important combat operations during Kulkarni's tenure - Operation Rajiv, in which the Quaid Post held by Pakistan was captured; and Operation Vajr Shakti, undertaken to thwart the Pakistani attempt to capture Bilafond La. In addition to the thrilling descriptions of military prowess, the book also touches upon the human cost of the Siachen conflict: being expected to thrive in treacherous terrain and an environment that has claimed innumerable lives.</p><p style="padding: 0px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 17); font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Gritty and heartfelt, this is a tale of survival on the world's highest battlefield.</p>
