Review: Shooting Straight by Arjun Subramaniam

Military historian Arjun Subramaniam’s meticulously researched book, Shooting Straight, is a gripping biography of Lt General Rustom K Nanavatty (Retd) of the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army. The subject hung up his boots in 2001 as the Northern Army Commander, having earned encomiums, as the book’s introduction puts it, for his “operational acumen, stellar leadership qualities, and the ability to speak truth to power”.

The book could not have been written but for access to the rich treasure trove of personal papers and notes and the punctilious diaries kept by Lt General Nanavatty, covering his significant assignments ranging from Nagaland and Sri Lanka (IPKF) to Siachen and J&K.

It is entirely a coincidence that the Lt General and this writer share the same school – The Rajkumar College, Rajkot – one of India’s finest legacy boarding schools. Established in 1870, the school has also produced military leaders such as General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, India’s first Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).

There are several examples in the book of General Nanavatty’s vision and far-sightedness, which have a direct bearing on contemporary threats and challenges faced by India today. At the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, the paper prepared by his syndicate recommended that offensive formations in the Western theatre be based on brigade-size battle groups. Today, after many decades, the Indian Army is contemplating the formation of Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs). Nanavatty was prescient in suggesting that India should have many field firing ranges. Today, India needs many more facilities akin to the acclaimed Mahajan Firing Range in Rajasthan. Given the forward deployments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in recent years, there is a need to enhance such facilities while balancing them with burgeoning border infrastructure, bases and habitations.

An important point in this context is the danger faced by scrap collectors at all firing ranges operated by the armed forces, not just in Ferozepur, which is cited in the book. It is extremely important for the government and the armed forces to review not just the safety standards in place at all firing ranges but also the protocols governing logistics and ammunition dumps, in view of unbridled urbanisation in adjacent areas.

Some other ideas such as “offensive defence” explored by General Nanavatty continue to resonate. This has a bearing on the situation along the Line of Actual Control. His lifelong emphasis on abandoning ceremonial trappings in favour of operational efficiency should be relevant at a time when the armed forces are undertaking major reforms.

The book touches upon the fact that, in the years following the deployment of the Indian Army on the Siachen glacier in 1984 (Operation Meghdoot), there were major difficulties in regard to waste disposal. It is clear from this that there was no immediate plan of action with regard to the disposal of hundreds of tonnes of waste generated annually. This includes human waste, spent ammunition cases, unserviceable equipment and sundry materials required for human habitation in inhospitable terrain and temperatures.

It is relevant to point out that following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for Swachh Bharat and climate action, the Indian Army launched its Siachen Swachh Abhiyan in 2018 with an annual target of removing 130 tonnes. One hopes that modern technologies developed as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat will lessen the adverse impact of continuing deployments on the fragile Himalayan ecosystems.

Reflecting on the potential role of the Special Forces (SF), General VP Malik (Retd), former Chief of Army Staff told the author Arjun Subramaniam, a former fighter pilot and retired Air Vice Marshal, that, as a brigadier in the Directorate of Military Operations, he had assessed Nanavatty’s espousal of the active use of Special Forces (SF) at the time as “not in sync with reality”. This assertion was based on the assessment that the Indian political establishment would never have authorised such covert operations behind enemy lines during peacetime. Fast forward to the present and we can clearly see that the Narendra Modi government has drawn distinct redlines as part of its “zero tolerance for terrorism”. It has demonstrated willingness to use the SF and the Indian Air Force to conduct cross-border strikes against terrorist infrastructure in peacetime even under a nuclear overhang.

Nanavatty’s take on fencing along India’s borders is interesting. His view was that “with deterrence not destruction being its effect, the fence deadens the offensive spirit of the fighting man”. In the context of the Line of Control with Pakistan, the fencing today is well behind the zero line on the Indian side. The Pakistanis till their agricultural fields right up to the zero line in many places. In our case, access to the last mile areas is either restricted or the terrain is simply isolated and overgrown with sarkanda grass. This raises contemporary questions about the fencing policy on the LoC or along the borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. Should India abandon the idea of fencing? Such a policy would presuppose a far more offensive posture on our part, with its own fallout.

The book is an important addition to India’s military history. What is more, the content goes beyond the life and times of General Nanavatty and his military career. It brings to life the many unsung heroes of all ranks from the Indian armed forces whose patriotism and heroism have otherwise been forgotten or consigned to the musty ledgers of military records.

Throughout the book, the author has combined facts and pen portraits of interesting individuals with deep knowledge of military history and a rare felicity of prose. Reading Shooting Straight was especially easy given the short anecdotal sections that stitch the narrative together.

The book also highlights the valuable contributions of the small Parsi community to our armed forces. General Nanavatty’s long service in the Indian army, his intellectual explorations and bold assertions about defence and security issues continue to have a contemporary relevance in an era of major power contestation, protracted wars, evolving threats and challenges faced by India, and, the rapidly changing character of warfare.

Sujan Chinoy is the Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.