BOOK REVIEW

THE HIMALAYAN BLUNDER

AUTHOR - BRIG JP DALVI

SUBMITTED BY – CAPT AMEYA DEO

 BOOK REVIEW

THE HIMALAYAN BLUNDER

PART – I : PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK

1. Name of Book : The Himalayan Blunder

2. Author : Brig JP Dalvi

3. Publishers : Natraj Publishers

4. Pages : 497

5. Cost : Rs 405 /-

6. Year of Publication : 1969 (First Publication)

PART – II : REVIEW

7. Introduction to the Author.

(a) Brig John Parshuram Dalvi’s genealogy can be traced to a long line of mil forebears
and was the senior most In dian Army officer to be held captive by the Chinese as PoW in the
1962 Sino- India War. Born on 03 Jul 1920 in Basra (Iraq) , where his father was serving with
the British Administration, he studied at St Mary’s High School in Bombay, from where he
graduated in Dec 1937.He decided to join the Army at the outbreak of World War II and is an
alumni of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

(b) Brig Dalvi served with the 5th Battalion of the Baluch Regt almost throughout the
World War II. He was one of a handful of Indian Officers fortunate enough to serve on the
 General Staff of a senior military formation ,in action, during World War II. He was mentioned
in despatches for gallant and distinguished service.

(c) During his post-War career , he held a variety of regimental, instructor and staff
appointments. Among other appointments, the author was made thw Brigadier in charge of
administration of HQ 15 Corps. His experiences in this appointment are narrated in this book
and make very depressing read indeed. He then volunteered to take up the command of the ill
fated 7 Infantry Brigade, which was annihilated by the Chinese.

(d) The author was captured by the Chinese on 22 Oct 1962 and repatriated in May 1963.
He formed the general outline of the book during his incarceration . He resolved that the
Indian people deserved to hear the truth from the only senior officer present on ground
throughout.

8. Introduction to the Book.

(a) Subject. “Himalayan Blunder” is an analysis of the Sino-Indian military disaster, a

post-mortem of the humiliating defeat of India by China, a silent cry of a soldier whose wounds
never healed, and an apology to the nation for the grand failure that shocked the entire nation.
The book is highly critical of the political governance, including some of the key players in the
Army. It is partly a rebuttal and a strong counter-view to other published books and public
responses made after the defeat, most of which were critical of the men at the front. Himalayan
Blunder is a fascinating war memoir of the 1962 Conflict between India and China in which
India suffered a humiliating defeat. Himalayan Blunder is a military masterpiece, arguably the
best book by an Indian military author.

(b) Other Printed Material on the Subject. There have been a No of books written on the
Sino-India War by Indian as well as foreign authors viz “The Untold Story” by BM Kaul, “India’s
China War” by Neville Maxwell, “The Unfought War of 1962” by JR Saigal and “The Fall of
Towang” by Niranjan Prasad. Each author has given his own account of the war from their
perspective. However, The Himalayan Blunder seems to be the most illuminating and
enthralling, as well as most soul-searching and analytic.

9. Brief of the Book.

(a) Himalayan Blunder is a fascinating war memoir of the 1962 conflict between India and
China in which India suffered a humiliating defeat. It has been written by a person who has
actually lived the war, which makes the authenticity of the whole memoir stronger.
(b) Himalayan Blunder tells you of the debacle that happened when ill-equipped,
unprepared, confused and demoralized soldiers were rushed into battle against a strong
adversary in an ad hoc manner because military decisions were influenced more by political
prophecy rather than military strategy; a direct result of a flawed national policy than anything
else.

(c) It is the story of a tragedy which could well have been averted. A story of how egos got
in the way of common sense and made the poor ill-equipped Indian soldier fight an uneven
battle against vastly better armed and prepared Chinese troops. Yet there were moments of
glory too for the Indian Army but in general it got annihilated after having performed valiantly
and admirably in their previous wars.

(d) Brig. Dalvi was taken prisoner by the Chinese and speaks at length about his days of
captivity apart from tracing the events that led to the war. Fifty years have gone by since this
short but fierce war, but the real truth has never come out on many aspects of the preparations
for the War and its actual conduct. Brig Dalvi's book is an eye-witness account of some of the
important battles of this war and tries to answer some of the questions that were in every
Indian's mind.

(e) The book was initially banned when it was published, mainly to avoid public ire against
the political leadership, which was held responsible for the debacle in the war,by the author in
the book, and was still by and large in the public eye. The wounds of the humiliating defeat
were still fresh in the minds of the people, and it was feared that the book would only serve to
deepen the anguish and pain of the public. However with most of that generation in their
twilights, the book is not likely to affect the present generation as badly, since they have not
faced the humiliation first hand, but mostly from the memoirs like these.

(f) The book is remarkable not only for its sensitive writing but for its thinking in depth. It is
impossible for any soldier who has experienced the “hell” during the war not to be bitter over
policy and decision makers. It is thus extremely creditable that despite that embitterment, it is a
fairly unbiased account; he even criticizes himself in certain portions of the book.

(g) It is imp that the Indian Army and more importantly the Indian bureaucracy and
politicians learn from the mistakes committed during the course of the Sino Indian War, so that
we as a nation are not entangled in a similar sit. Unfortunately , there are certain portions of
the book , where you cannot help but compare the sit as it was then, and the one prevalent
now. The wide gap between the political decision and the tactical readiness for war is best
summed up by the author in this remarkably realistic rendition of the War.
10. Highlights of the Book. The book has been divided in the fwg parts:-

(a) Part –I (Pre 1962). - The author has spent time on the initial chapters to give an
understanding on the geo-political map of the Himalayan region – covering China, Tibet,
Pakistan, the key entities that have had border issues along the Himalayas. The background
onto the Sino-Tibetan relations in 20th century, the Anglo-Tibetan Treaty of 1904, The Anglo-
Chinese Treaty of 1906, The Tripartite Conference of Tibet, China and Britain in Simla in
1913-14, the boundary agreement between India and Tibet famously known as the McMahon
Line, and the Anglo challenge to China on their suzerainty over Tibet . This part also
expresses India’s national and military policy post independence and pre 1962, especially the
policy in regards Tibet. This is the most imp part of the book as it lays the foundation for the
readers to understand the mindset of Indian leaders, the importance given by them to the
national security, the military preparedness of the country, and the kind of hardships, both
operational and administrative, that were being faced by the Indian Army during the period. It
lays emphasis on the priority given(read not given) by the bureaucracy and policy makers on
strengthening the Indian Armed forces.

(b) Part – II (Year 1962). The part describes the sequence of events that took place
on the fateful year of the war. The author describes that there were many precursors of
Chinese attack which the Indian leadership conveniently overlooked as “routine” activities. It
still believed that the Chinese would not attack India at any cost since the two countries were
“friends” – an assumption which proved to be stubborn and foolhardy. The author also
describes the harsh weather conditions in which the Indian Army was forcefully deployed
despite contrary views of mil without even the basic needs of food, warm clothing, shelter or
even roads to sustain the tps and their lines of comn.

(c) Part – III & IV (Pre War Events). This part gives the on hand account of the events
that led ultimately to the war. The author narrates how the people taking decisions in delhi
were both far removed from the reality, and unwilling to listen to the appreciation of the
military leadership on ground. The Indian Govt seemed to care only about providing a false
front to own people at the cost of loss of lives. The suicidal “Forward Post Policy” adopted by
India to this end proved to be the final nail in the coffin as far as the trust between India and
China was concerned. The policy was as such flawed strategically and tactically, which was
conveyed by mil leadership on ground, but fell on deaf ears of the political and mil leadership
in Delhi. The Indian Govt , in absence of both the Prime Minister and Defence Minsiter,
ordered the Army to evict the Chinese tps from disputed land having huge tactical
disadvantage. The ground formations tried to resist to the same citing gross inadequacies of
amn clothing, food and other essentials in absolutely horrible weather and climatic conditions,
but had to ultimately give in to the political will.

(d) Part – V ( Battle of Thagla Ridge). This portion of the book gives a nerve
tangling first hand account of the first battle of the 1962 Sino – Indian War. It describes the
 annihilation of the 7th Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army in Thagla by the Chinese Army
effortlessly in approx three hours. The author paints the battle ground and the feverish
activities happening on ground very lucidly, making the reader awe about the courage and
bravery of the bravehearts waiting for their time to lay down the lives for their motherland. The
description makes you feel proud and shamed at the same time; proud for the bravery of the
soldiers, and shame and hatred for the sheer selfish , high handed , foolish and immature
behavior of the hierarchy and decision makers of the country. In this part, the author also
gives a detailed account on his days of captivity under the Chinese Army until he was
repatriated seven months later.

(e) Part – VI (The Reason Why). The last part of the book dwells upon the various
factors that supposedly led to the humiliating defeat in the War. These include faulty
directions from the Higher authorities, their selfish and stubborn attitude, lack of faith and
respect for the ground formation leadership, no organized network of a defunct IB, and lack of
faith in own Air force among others. In fact the apprehension to use own Air Force was
appaling given the fact fact that India approached the USA and the Britain to provide air sp.

(f) The appendix also has a letter from Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the then Def Minister,
addressed to the the PM, Mr Jawahar Lal Nehru, written in 1950’s, much before the actual
war, foreseeing the Chinese threat , and requesting the PM to take immediate corrective
measures. However the PM doesn’t seem to have paid much heed to the advice given by his
Home Minister.

11. Writing. Brig Dalvi tells his story with remarkable wit, elegance and exceptional candour.
His candid storytelling style captivates you and once you start reading you get so engrossed that
the book cannot be put down. The language used is simple yet effective.The book has been written
so that even the civil populace could read it and hence there is no military jargon. The author writes
straight from the heart and that is why this book will not only educate you but also will move you
emotionally, strike a chord and get you thinking. From the way he writes it is evident that besides
being a soldier, the author was a thinker and a scholar, extremely well-read and well-informed, and
possessed a witty sense of humour, and has interspersed his book with quotes, metaphors and
similes. The only drawback of the writing is that the author gets too repetitive of certain points
throughout the book, especially during the initial portions thus compromising brevity.

12. Value for Money. The book is currently valued at Rs. 405 /- in the market and is worth
every rupee of its worth. The pages and the binding of the revised edition of the book is of good
quality. The font used in the book is good and the font size is easily readable.
 PART – III : RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

13. Recommendations.

(a) This book is recommended to be read by all who have an interest in military history,
cross-border relations, or have a stake in national policies. It will be of interest to those who
have jobs that have impact across multiple organizations, for obvious reasons.

(b) The book is also recommended for any and every patriotic Indian, irrespective of their
profession, for the sheer intensity and eye opening account of the state of affairs of our
country.

14. Conclusion. “Himalayan Blunder” is an analysis of the Sino-Indian military disaster, a

post-mortem of the humiliating defeat of India by China, a silent cry of a soldier whose wounds
never healed, and an apology to the nation for the grand failure that shocked the entire nation. This
book should not be read as a post-mortem report that educates us onto the names of key players
in the 1962 war and their roles on the debacle, but as an eye-opener that forces us to think, to
plan, to frame policies, and provides a framework to translate these into strategic and tactical plans
for managing our borders.