Notion Press Old No. 38, New No. 6 McNichols Road, Chetpet Chennai - 600 031 First Published by Notion Press 2020 Copyright © Col. Arun Parasar 2020 All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-64678-003-7 This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. While every effort has been made to avoid any mistake or omission, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that neither the author nor the publishers or printers would be liable in any manner to any person by reason of any mistake or omission in this publication or for any action taken or omitted to be taken or advice rendered or accepted on the basis of this work. For any defect in printing or binding the publishers will be liable only to replace the defective copy by another copy of this work then available. CONTENTS Foreword 7 Acknowledgements 9 Prologue 11 CHAPTER - ONE Operation Meghdoot (Siachen Glacier) 1. Siachen (The Highest Battlefield) 17 2. Induction in the Glacier 22 3. The Sad and Uncompromising Moment 29 4. Operation Meghdoot 35 5. De-Induction from Saichen 48 CHAPTER - TWO Operation Pawan (Sri Lanka) 6. A Brief History of Sri Lanka 53 7. The Conflict 57 8. The Call of Duty 60 9. Operation Pawan 64 10. De-Induction from Operation Pawan 75 11. Lessons Learnt 79 CONTENTS CHAPTER - THREE Operation Unosom II (Somalia) 12. A Brief Background of Somalia 89 13. Preparation for the Un Mission 96 14. Induction 102 15. The Peace Operations 106 16. De-Induction 112 CHAPTER - FOUR Challenges Encountered 17. The Red Corridor 117 18. Encounter with Chinese Patrol 120 19. 2002 Gujarat Roits 123 20. 2001 Gujarat Earthquake 126 21. Down the Memory Lane 129 Conclusion 137 Abbreviations 139 Photo Gallery 141 6 FOREWORD I and Arun are course mates and know each other for the last 37 years. We have been a good friend and well wisher of each other because firstly we are from the same regiment, secondly because of his professional and operational ingenuity and thirdly his ever smiling face. We continue to share the course and regimental spirit. His book THE THREE S FACTORS is his professional memoire which primarily deals with three major operations after 1971 war, that is Sia chen glacier, Sri Lanka and UN mission in particular besides many other anecdotes. He explains and describes in his book the real life story and facts which may not be known to other specially the younger generation. He has written the book in a simple lucid language for everybody to understand the facts and reality. Besides the three above operations, he has a vast experience in counter insurgency operations and other forms of military operations. It goes without saying that his book will not only influence the new generation army officers but also young and old. I wish him all the best in the new venture and endeavour and expect many more books from him. Sanjay Soi Maj Gen (Retd) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my mother, who herself is a writer and novelist in vernacular language. Without her encouragement and support, the book would not have been possible. I would like to thank my wife and kids who have taken special care and showed patience while penning down this book. A special thanks to my course mates and childhood friends who inspired and encouraged me to write this book. I would like to express my gratitude to Maj Gen D P Merchant, AVSM (Retd), who has been a guardian, friend and philosopher, Brig PN Kaul (Retd), the battalion’s second Commanding Officer and Mr Kuntal Kumar Sen, Indian Revenue Service, my childhood friend, for reviewing the manuscript and encouraging its publication. My appreciation to Mr Sanjeev Kumar for helping me throughout the process, especially in computer-related matters. My thanks to Maj Gen Sanjay Soi, a good friend, well-wisher and course-mate who readily agreed to write the foreword for the book. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to Mr Debasish Bosu Mullick and his wife Archna for motivating me to complete the book. My gratitude to our battalion and the Indian Army for enabling my first book to come to the floor. Thanks also to my publishers Notion Press Media for agreeing to publish this book in the first review. The author PROLOGUE The boat of life has sailed through very smoothly, except for a few ups and downs, which is inevitable. It has been a journey full of joy and gratitude so far. My childhood dreams were different, but because of my mother’s advice, I ended up putting on the OLIVE GREEN uniform. At this juncture of life, I realise that my mother was right. MY MOTHER In my view, there cannot be a better teacher than your mother. We go to school, which is a necessity to further our life. The teachers try their best to inculcate in us the qualities, based on our capabilities and goals which are unique for each one of us. As we graduate in life we are always thinking of and trying to achieve our goals. But as we grow, our destiny also grows with us. At times, destiny does not want to support us, and we are left in the lurch. Then we feel helpless. In such situations, we look for options or take a new road map. This is what life is all about. But I am convinced that a major aspect of furthering our life is based on our education, ethics that we inherit, the environment in which we live in and the knowledge we acquire over a period of time. In all this quest, at every stage, our mother is our guide, friend and philosopher, since nobody, not even you, understand yourself more than your mother. I have always believed that the Almighty has blessed us with a timeline to live. We must fulfil the purpose for which He has brought us into this world, but unfortunately, a few of us destroy this opportunity. Notwithstanding the above statements and logic, I would like to proceed on my journey, beyond my professional travel and further. PROLOGUE But somehow, as we get exposed to the environment, we try to follow it. I think this is not the right way to live. THE PASSION I entered the army at a young age in 1982. Thanks to my good luck, I was commissioned in the Kumaon regiment which was known for its valour, traditions and contribution to the nation as leaders in the military field, by giving the nation three chiefs, namely Gen Thimmaya, Gen Shrinagesh and Gen T N Raina. Kumaon was my first choice while opting for the arms and services, and I was lucky to get it. It was primarily the dream of my childhood, during which I had heard stories of the 1965 and 1971 wars. It was a dream come true, and I was asked to report to 18 Kumaon. I am the first generation to be a part of the army. Everybody in the family is in the field of education. When I joined the battalion, it was six years old, as it came into being in 1976. While raising a battalion by the regiments on the orders of the Army Head Quarters (HQ), all battalions of that regiment try to post their best officers and men so that a strong foundation is laid, based on their experience. OUR BATTALION The same thing happened with our battalion. The newly posted officers were from different battalions of the regiment. Since all the officers were chosen on their merit, they gave their best, the result of which can be felt today. In the 70s, insurgency was at its peak, in the north-east. Consequently, after the raising and training, the battalion was ordered to move into the insurgency affected areas of Nagaland and Tripura. It was the first taste of counter-insurgency operations for the battalion. It passed the test for which it was raised. The life of the battalion kept moving, and during that period they were in Dehradun and Dalhousie. I would like to highlight here that our battalion, one of seven battalions of the Indian Army, secured a position in the annals of the India Today magazine, for being honoured with distinction for its achievements, within 10 years of its raising. If my memory does not fail me, it was in one of the 1988 editions, when the unit was engaged in the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) operations. 12 PROLOGUE PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY My professional journey started in Dalhousie. I started to learn the finer things of the profession. I recall that in one of the social functions in the officers’ mess, where I was the youngest officer, I was asked by the commanding officer (CO) to explain to the present gathering about RUSSEL and the motto of the regiment PRAKRAKROMO VIJAYETE. I did what our CO asked me to do. At the end of my brief, our CO came to me and said, “Well done, young man. Remember that whenever you are addressing a gathering and you need to mention your battalion, never personalise it. Instead of ‘my’ battalion, say ‘our’ battalion. It sends a very firm message about the battalion.” After having trained to the hilt and having fun as a youngster, the battalion was inducted in the Siachen Glacier.