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A Poem, On the House
From “Guardians in the Gale”
The Silence After Victory
A glimpse from the debut collection · 21 poems
Peace is a beautiful thing to hold, Yet its creation is harsh and cold. It demands a sacrifice few can give To ensure others are free to live.
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From the Journal
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The Agnipath Scheme: A New Generation of Agniveers
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Siachen: The World's Highest Battlefield
Over 20,000 feet, where the cold kills more than the enemy. The story of Operation Meghdoot and the soldiers who hold the roof of the world.
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Veer Naris: The Families Who Also Serve
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Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw: The Soldier's Soldier
"Sam Bahadur" — India's first Field Marshal, architect of the 1971 victory, and a leader whose wit and integrity became legend.
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A Soldier's Last Letter: The Words Left Behind
The most moving documents of any war are the letters soldiers write home before a mission. A reflection on the words left behind.
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Why War Poetry Still Matters
From Wilfred Owen and the poppies of Flanders to Tagore and Subhadra Kumari Chauhan — how a single poem can outlast the war that made it.
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Breaking Barriers: Women in the Armed Forces
From the first women fighter pilots to permanent commissions and combat roles — the story of a barrier falling, rank by rank.
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The National War Memorial: A Home for India's Heroes
For 72 years India had no memorial of its own to its fallen. A walk through the four sacred circles, the eternal flame, and the 25,942 names cut into granite.
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Agni: The Missiles That Guard India's Peace
From Agni-I to the long-range Agni-V, India's home-built missiles anchor its nuclear deterrent. The story of the programme — and deterrence as peace.
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Ayo Gorkhali: The Legend of the Gorkhas
"Better to die than be a coward." The khukri, the war cry "Ayo Gorkhali," and a two-century legend of courage.
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The Indian Coast Guard: Sentinels of the Shore
Guarding 7,500 km of coastline — saving lives, fighting smugglers, and standing as the nation's first line at sea. Meet India's fourth armed force.
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Atmanirbhar Bharat: Self-Reliant Defence
From the Tejas fighter to the home-built INS Vikrant, India is striving to make its own weapons. Why self-reliant defence matters.
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The Indian Military in 2026: A Force Transformed
Theatre commands, indigenous weapons, drones, space and cyber — India's forces are in their biggest transformation in decades. Where things stand in 2026.
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Republic Day: The Promise India Renews
Every 26 January, India marks the day its Constitution came alive. Beyond the parade lies a deeper promise — and its bravest, honoured.
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The Folded Pride: The Story of the Tricolour
Saffron, white and green, with the wheel of law at its heart — the story of the tiranga, and the flag that drapes a fallen hero.
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Param Vir Chakra: India's Highest Honour for Valour
A mythic medal designed by Savitri Khanolkar, 21 recipients, the first hero Major Somnath Sharma, and the four awarded for Kargil.
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India Gate and the Eternal Flame
A century-old arch, a flame that burned for fifty years for the unknown soldier — and its 2022 journey to a new home.
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Field Marshal Cariappa: The Man Who Took Command
On 15 January 1949 — now Army Day — K. M. Cariappa became the first Indian to command the Indian Army. The life of a foundational soldier.
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General Bipin Rawat and the Birth of the CDS
In 2020, General Bipin Rawat became India's first Chief of Defence Staff — tasked with uniting three services into one fighting machine. His vision and legacy.
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Arun Khetarpal: "I Will Not Abandon My Tank"
At 21, Arun Khetarpal of the Poona Horse fought a great tank action at Basantar in 1971 — and refused to leave his burning tank. A Param Vir Chakra story.
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1971: The War That Gave Birth to a Nation
Thirteen days in December 1971: the liberation of Bangladesh and the largest military surrender since World War II.
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Operation Parakram: The War That Never Came
After the 2001 Parliament attack, India massed for war and waited ten tense months on the border. The courage of a war that never came.
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Longewala: 120 Men Against an Armoured Brigade
On the night of 4–5 December 1971, ~120 Indian soldiers held off a Pakistani armoured brigade in the Thar desert until dawn. The story behind the legend.
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INS Vikrant: Sentinel of the Seas
India's first home-built aircraft carrier, heir to a legendary 1971 name — the story of INS Vikrant and a navy that now reaches across oceans.
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26/11 and the NSG: The Night Mumbai Did Not Fall
Ten terrorists, nearly 60 hours, one city held hostage. How the NSG ended the 26/11 siege — and the major who gave everything.
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The Unknown Soldier: India's Silent Warriors
A war with no medals and no monuments, fought by those who can never be named. A tribute to the unknown soldiers of intelligence.
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Major Somnath Sharma: India's First Param Vir
At Badgam in 1947, one company stood between the enemy and Srinagar. Major Somnath Sharma held — and the roll of the Param Vir begins with his name.
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Subedar Joginder Singh: The Last Bayonet at Bum La
In 1962, Subedar Joginder Singh and a small platoon held a Himalayan ridge against waves of Chinese troops — fighting on with bayonets when the ammo ran out.
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1962 and the Last Stand at Rezang La
Within the defeat of 1962 shone supreme courage — the last stand of 120 men of the 13 Kumaon at Rezang La, under Major Shaitan Singh, PVC.
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MARCOS: The Silent Warriors of the Sea
Beneath the waves and on hostile coasts, the Indian Navy's MARCOS fight unseen. The silent warriors of the sea.
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Wings of the Nation: The Modern Air Force
From the Rafale to the home-grown Tejas — a look at the modern Indian Air Force, and what it means to command the skies.
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Garud Commandos: Guardians of India's Skies
Named after the divine eagle, the Garud Commandos are the Indian Air Force's elite — the silent guardians of the nation's skies.
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The Para SF and the 2016 Surgical Strikes
India's most elite soldiers — the maroon-bereted Para SF — and the 2016 surgical strikes that answered the Uri attack.
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1965 and the Graveyard of Tanks at Asal Uttar
In 1965, a Punjab field became a graveyard of Pakistani Patton tanks — and gave India the hero Abdul Hamid, PVC. The story of Asal Uttar.
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The Battle of Saragarhi: 21 Against an Army
In 1897, twenty-one Sikh soldiers chose to hold their post to the last man against thousands. One of history's greatest last stands.
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Nathu La 1967: When India Answered China
Five years after 1962, Indian troops met the Chinese at the icy passes of Sikkim — and this time, they held. The forgotten victory of 1967.
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Kargil Vijay Diwas: Why We Remember 26 July
Every 26 July, India marks the day the Kargil War was won. What Vijay Diwas means, and why remembrance is a duty, not a ceremony.
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Remembering Kargil: Operation Vijay and the Heroes of 1999
The world's highest battlefield, the recapture of Tololing and Tiger Hill, the 527 who fell, and why we mark Kargil Vijay Diwas every 26 July.
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Captain Vikram Batra: The Lion of Kargil
"Yeh Dil Maange More." The story of Sher Shah — Captain Vikram Batra, PVC — who died at 24 leading the charge on Kargil's peaks.
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Galwan, 2020: The Night on the Roof of the World
June 2020: the first deadly India–China clash in over 40 years, fought hand-to-hand in the dark at 14,000 feet. The story of Galwan.
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Operation Sindoor, 2025: India's Answer to Pahalgam
May 2025: after the Pahalgam attack killed 26 civilians, India struck back. A clear-eyed look at Operation Sindoor and the four days that followed.
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Balakot, 2019: The Strike After Pulwama
After Pulwama killed 40 CRPF men in 2019, the IAF struck a terror camp at Balakot. The story of those tense February days.
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