Sinking of INS Khukri Book Review Essays - Indo-Pakistani War

Sinking of INS Khukri Book Review I. BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION The book entitled The Sinking of INS Khukri (Survivors Stories) tells, in part, the story of what really happened in India in 1971 and the tragic and dramatic tale of the sinking of an Indian anti-submarine frigate (INS Khukri) during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War as unfolded by the survivors and surviving families of the ill-fated Indian warship. First published in 2006 by The Lotus Collection and imprinted by Roli Books Pvt. Ltd. in New Delhi, the book was written by Major General (Retd) Ian Cardozo, AVSM, SM some 35 years after the fatal incident had taken place off the coast of Diu Head in the western coast of India claiming the lives of almost 200 officers and sailors of the unfortunate INS Khukri. The books author, General Cardozo, a war veteran himself of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, shares the sentiments and ordeals of his comrades-in-arms in the Indian Navy during the sea battles of this famous and historic war which ended in a resounding and glorious feat for India and the libe ration and birth of an independent state of Bangladesh. During this very same war, General Cardozo was a young major then fighting for the 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) against Pakistani soldiers in Sylhet, Bangladesh where he lost his leg in a landmine blast on that very same day that INS Khukri was sunk, 09 December 1971. Despite the tribulation, he conquered his disability and became the first disabled Army Officer to command an infantry battalion and eventually, a brigade. Later on, he became the Chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India. To a regular serviceman, it may seem ironic that an Army Officer is the one narrating a story, which is truly Navy in nature. However, let it be known that there is a very special bond linking INS Khukri and the Gorkha Rifle Brigade together. General Cardozo, a proud member of this illustrious Gorkha Brigade, related that the special attachment between the officers and men of these two (2) units could be traced all the way back from the 1950s when an Indian River Class Frigate, HMIS Khukri was first commissioned into the naval service. The pact of friendship and brotherhood was sealed during one of the military functions held at the Kotah House Navy Officers Mess when a khukri (a traditional weapon of a Gorkha soldier) was presented by the 5th Gorkha Rifles (FF) to the officers of HMIS Khukri, who in turn presented the regiment with the ships crest. Since then, the two units bond has been indelibly etched in the annals of both the Indian Army and the Indian Navy. Relatedly, this Khukri was one of the effective weapons used by the author himself in fighting the war against Pakistan in the Eastern Front and in cutting off his nearly severed leg after the landmine explosion in Sylhet, a bold move of a gallant soldier determined to live and fight another day. This 197-page historically descriptive and narrative literature has been carefully taken from sources published both in India and Pakistan, from actual accounts of key personnel during those fateful moments of the battles and those who survived the ordeals of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. II. SUMMARY OF CONTENT As my own way of summarizing the storys vast coverage, shown below are five major tales that linked together all the bits and pieces of information which vividly describe what had really happened in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, the sad fate of INS Khukri and the magnificent victory of India in this decisive battle: Revisiting the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. The Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 took place between April and September of said year. India and Pakistan fought over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947. The war began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against Indian rule. However, the scheme was revealed and the Pakistani saboteurs were soon discovered because their presence was eventually reported by the locals of Kashmir. The operation eventually ended in a complete failure. It ended in a United Nations (UN) mandated ceasefire. This Tales Emphasis. Naval operations did