About the Book:

Good governance is the greatest act of patriotism in 21st-century India, says Maj Gen Dipak Mukherjee, in his book, Battle for Hearts & Minds from North East to Kashmir and Beyond.  Just military intervention cannot compensate for governance deficit, argues Maj Gen Mukherjee, sharing his unique insight into how the Indian Army actually won wars on the ground. When the moral compass was steady, as in Nagaland, in the 1950s and ’60s or during the Bangladesh war of 1971, the Indian Army achieved victories far bigger than military surrender.

But in Sri Lanka, India’s moral compass was severely tested.  As one havildar said, ‘Sahib, we all are now in Sri Lanka.  Last time in ancient history, Ram came here with his army to fight Raavan. Can you tell us, who is our Raavan here?’

Pleading for a larger perspective, he says, the battle for hearts and minds will continue to inform our understanding of war. In this journey, General Mukherjee’s insights are a valuable milestone. Written with poignant exuberance, this book is recommended for reading particularly by the young generations of India and neighbouring countries. It is equally good reading for the older generation of people to reflect and introspect upon the state the nation has been consigned to and bequeathed to young Indians.  It is indeed a low bottom line from where young Indians have to lift India in this so-called Asian century.

About the book

“Ramnath Goenka, a freedom fighter in his own right, had been instrumental in giving credence to the Right to Speech guaranteed in the Constitution of India. Though his financial dealings were questionable, Goenka had earned a reputation for his fierce and fiery criticism of the Central Government and the all-powerful Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in particular. His newspaper, The Indian Express, minced no words in criticizing the government policies even as the government used my independent investigation to pressurize him. To his credit, Goenka neither directly nor indirectly tried to scuttle the investigation though he was a powerful man.”

“Romen Chatterjee, the ring leader, insisted that the prosecutor apologized in front of all the staff members. The prosecutor, who had scolded a staffer for violating provisions of the Companies Act 1956, was scared but did not want to apologise. While I was entering my chamber, I heard Chatterjee talking to a reporter of the Amrita Bazar Patrika. Anticipating that the matter will be blown out of the proportion, I cooked up a story. I called Chatterjee in my chamber and told him that I had asked the Commissioner of Police to take action against the erring staff and that the Commissioner had said that talking to the Press would render him liable for a disciplinary action. Not knowing that I had overheard him speak to the reporter and that the story I was telling him was all made-up, Chatterjee started sweating. I was happy that I had saved the department the embarrassment.”