Military stories from the regiment of history Book Review by General S Padmanabhan Sunday April 13 2008 >From - http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEB20080412155825&eTitle=Books+%26+Literature&rLink=0 Empire's First Soldiers by D P Ramachandran Publisher: Lancer Pages: 316 Price: 795 Should we, as a free nation, continue to recount and celebrate the actions and achievements of the pre-Independence Indian Army and its colonial predecessors, the erstwhile Presidency Armies? Empire's First Soldiers does just that. The author believes that the military professionalism of today's Indian Army, its ethos and traditions are derived from its historical past of over 250 years, including its colonial experience. In fact, the entity we know today as 'Indian Army' was created in 1895 by the amalgamation of the three Presidency Armies of which the Madras Army was the oldest. This book deals mainly with the South Indian soldiers of the old Madras Army and their successors - the Madras Regiment, Madras Engineer Group and 16th Light Cavalry. The Book has three sub-divisions. The first deals with the wars, battles, rebellions and mutinies in South India during the 17th and 18th Centuries. The second part deals with the wars in which the Indian Army was employed as an instrument of the British Empire in places like Afghanistan, Burma, China, Egypt, Philippines and various battlefields of the First and Second World Wars. The third part deals with the post-Independence Indian Army in all its roles including war fighting, peace keeping under the UN flag and the operations in Sri Lanka. There is also an informative chapter on the arms, uniforms and memorials to martyred soldiers and a brief addendum on the role of the Madras Sappers in non-combat operations. In sum, this book gives the reader a better than bird's eye view of the old Madras Army and its descendant, the modern Indian Army. The author makes a few interesting observations. First, out-sourcing of the security of their realms by 'native' rulers to the East India Company led to the eventual conquest of these by their intended protectors. Second, India was conquered 'for the British by Indians' - thanks to the perfidy of the 'native' rulers, the valour of the 'sepoy' armies and the quality of leadership provided by the British. Third, the post-World War II Indian Army, as much as the freedom movement based on satyagraha, made it clear to the British that they must quit India. Fourth, the dogma of martial races propounded by the British is untenable. The author saw active services as a young Armoured Corps officer in the 1971 operations in Bangladesh. Based on his experiences in that war, he authored a book Legion of the Brave. Empire's First Soldiers is an equally fascinating book, notable for its easy narrative style, ring of authenticity and clear appeal to all who are interested in matters military. He deserves to be congratulated for this second offering as well. ============================= ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

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