Siachen (Marathi)

Nitin A. Gokhale, one of Asia's best known defence analysts and authors, goes behind the obvious and delves into minds of the Siachen soldiers and brings out the fears, triumphs, tragedies and the remarkable feats of human endurance in this fascinating account. Illustrated with never before seen photographs and peppered with personal stories and anecdotes of the soldiers, the book is an in-depth look at what it takes to defend Siachen and keep the Indian flag flying in the most inhospitable terrain anywhere in the world.Operation Meghdoot was launched by the Indian Army on the barren and icy heights of the Siachen Glacier to thwart Pakistan from gaining control of this strategically located glacier. For three decades since then, Indian and Pakistani troops have been locked in an undeclared war on the world's highest - and coldest - battlefield.What do soldiers do differently at the forbidding heights of the Siachen Glacier? How do they adapt to the harshest weather conditions on the planet? At minus 50°C and altitudes in excess of 18,000 feet how does the human spirit endure? What does it take for helicopters to fly in such extreme conditions? What demands does the weather make on both man and machine ?