Author

Arjun Subramaniam

16 key ideas across 2 books, each explained in our own words.

Full Spectrum

IDEA 1
After 1971, conflicts took many forms
Subramaniam continues India's military history from the 1970s onward. He shows that India faced a wide range of challenges, from high-altitude battles and peacekeeping to insurgencies and limited wars, rather than one big war.
IDEA 2
Siachen became the highest battlefield
The book describes Operation Meghdoot in 1984, when Indian troops occupied heights on the Siachen glacier. Subramaniam explains how soldiers and helicopter pilots learnt to survive and fight in extreme cold and thin air.
IDEA 3
Sri Lanka was a painful lesson
Subramaniam describes the Indian Peace Keeping Force sent to Sri Lanka in the late 1980s. Fighting the Tamil Tigers in unfamiliar jungle, with unclear political goals, cost many lives and taught hard lessons.

IDEA 1
India's first war came immediately
Subramaniam describes how, soon after independence, India sent troops to Kashmir to repel raiders and Pakistani forces. The newly divided army and air force had to fight with limited resources.
IDEA 2
Police actions completed integration
The book describes military operations to bring Hyderabad and later Goa into India. Subramaniam explains how these campaigns were planned and why they ended quickly. Both were short campaigns lasting only days.
IDEA 3
1962 exposed serious weaknesses
Subramaniam describes the war with China, in which Indian forces were poorly prepared and badly led at higher levels. He examines the political and military mistakes that led to defeat in the Himalayas.

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