How a shepherd became a Kargil hero, other India war stories | #34
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December 16th is celebrated as Vijay Divas to commemorate Pakistan’s unilateral surrender to Indian forces in Dhaka in 1971. Indira Gandhi, who was getting ready to be interviewed by a Swedish news crew, received a call which she answered with “Yes”, “Yes”, “Thank You” and proceeded to tell the Parliament (whose winter session wasn’t cancelled) about the surrender.
Today we have some stories about India’s tryst with wars.
Things we learnt this week:
In May 1999, India got to know about Pakistan’s encroachment of the Line of Control thanks to a shepherd. Tashi Namgyal, was looking for his yak, when he spotted six men breaking stones and clearing the snow. It was unusual as they were in Pathani suits and army overalls and had weapons with them. On his information, the Indian army sent a team to investigate, realized the battle readiness of the Pakistani army stationed there and prepared for war. Today, this man is largely forgotten.
After the surrender of Gen AAK Niazi at Dhaka, Bangladesh was born but without a leader at the helm. The charismatic Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a candidate but had been arrested and sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court. His prison cell had a 6.5ft long grave with a rope & loop hanging over it - to warn him of his impending death. To ensure Bangladesh had a leader, Indira Gandhi needed a confirmation from Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the de-facto leader of Pakistan, that he would release Mujibur. Indira Gandhi used an old flame of Bhutto, Laila Rahman (no relation to Mujibur) as a conduit and set up a secret meeting at the VIP lounge of the Heathrow airport to get confirmation from Bhutto. This piece reads like a thriller, written by a diplomat in the thick of things. Make love not war indeed.
[Pakistani soldiers surrendering in 1971]
India’s abject failure in the 1962 war against the Chinese is often spoken about. Not as well-known is the skirmish at Nathula Pass in 1967 where India held their own against Chinese aggression. Interestingly, the Chinese distrust against India building a fence along the pass seems to have stemmed from a diplomat who took photographs of the Temple of Sleeping Buddha near Beijing, while on a tourist jaunt. The level of distrust was so much that a routine Patel-shot was considered espionage. Read this piece on how the ‘60s was the lowest point of the India China relationship. Maybe there are some lessons for us this time.
Our twitter threads ICYMI
Our thread celebrating one of Shah Rukh Khan’s finest acting performance
All about the greatness of Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar
The existence of the definitive edition of Mahabharata
Things we’re reading / watching / listening to:
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay masterfully examines Indian politics, class prejudice, and sexuality through a naïve lens, offering profound meditations on grief, guilt, and the limits of compassion. The book follows a complicated flaneuse across the Indian subcontinent, reckoning the protagonist with her past, her desires, and the tumultuous present.
The Ministry for Future is a dystopian sci-fi book set in future where there is a new ministry established by UN named ‘The Ministry for Future’ and it deals with impacts of climate crisis. It paints a stark future of the climate crisis at a political, emotional and industrial level through interesting characters.
Last Sunday saw the release of episode 2 of India Wants to Know on Southbay Live. Check it out:
And one final thing, we are officially 1 year old 🥳 🎉
We have a free quiz to celebrate our birthday. Something new, something interesting planned so that we can end 2020 with a bang and really look forward to a pandemic-free 2021. Do join us this Sunday. Oh and again, its FREE!
This newsletter will also take a vacation and return in 2021. We wish you seasons greetings and Happy New Year!
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❤️ IWTK