“COL. AJAY SINGH”
“Let us share our writings, experiences, travels and thoughts and multiply their flavours”
Soldier, proud Indian, writer, whimsical photographer and traveler. Have started this site to share and exchange ideas on writings, travels and any other subject that catches the fancy.
Do share your views and add to the chain.Let us share the journey together.
‘Balakot and Beyond’
‘On 14 February 2019 – a bloody Valentine’s Day – a Kashmiri youth Ahmad Dar slammed an explosive laden SUV into a CRPF convoy at Pulwama, killing over 40. It was the deadliest attack on Indian security forces and the smoking gun pointed directly to Pakistan.
‘2019 – A YEAR IN CONFLICT’
‘2019 has been a year of near misses. 269 instances of large and small conflicts involving 30 nations have been recorded, but fortuitously none has blown out of complete control. Many of the older conflicts, such as the Syrian Civil War, the Afghan War and the never ending wars of North Africa have smoldered, raged or re-ignited, without really going away.
‘04 February 1670- “GAD AALE PAN SINHA GELA”’
‘The Capture of Sinhgarh Fort ’
Shivaji’s life reads like story book. He captured his first fort when he was just 16, waged a three decade long war against Aurangzeb and carved a Maratha Empire against all odds. Yet few of his exploits have gripped public imagination as much as the capture of Sinhgarh Fort – or to give it the name it had then, Kondhana Fort.
THE ‘PANIPAT’ MOMENT
14 Jan 1761- ‘the blackest day in Indian History.’ A day when around 40-50000 Maratha warriors fell on the field of Panipat. Another 20-30,000 – mostly women and children – were taken prisoner and enslaved. It was a day that changed the course of India and shaped its contours irrevocably.
REJIGGING FOREIGN POLICY
Over the past few years, one of the major successes has been in India’s foreign policy initiatives which decisively formalized alliances, developed strong relationships and kept threats at bay.
OPERATION PAWAN – IPKF Operations in Sri Lanka(Oct 87 to March 90)
On 13 Oct 1987, around 30 years from now, the Indian Army launched OP PAWAN – a war against the world’s deadliest terrorist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
OPERATION CACTUS in the Maldives (03 Nov 1988)
In the late afternoon of 03 November 1988, maroon bereted troops of India’s elite 50 Independent Parachute Brigade filed into the holds of two IL -76 transport aircraft in
The First Fires of Independence (10 May 1857 to 20 June 1858)
10 May 1857 – 20June 1858 : THE FIRST FIRES OF INDEPENDENCE The Spark On 29 March 1857, a 29 year old sepoy of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry,
Anglo Sikh Wars (11 Dec 1845 to March 1846)
In the early years of the 19th Century, the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh had expanded rapidly covering most of Western Punjab (modern day Pakistan) as far as Afghanistan.
Battle of Srirangapatnam ( Anglo -Mysore Wars: Jan 1767 – May 1799)
Few figures have been as distorted or as misunderstood in
Battle of Buxar (23 Oct 1763)
The British, or more appropriately the East India Company, established their supremacy over the Eastern Provinces by their victory over the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battle
Battle of Palashi; A Traitor’s battle (23 June 1757)
One of the advantages of winning battles is that the victor gets to write its history. Unfortunately Indian rulers have won few of their battles and the versions we receive
Palkhed – The Battle of Manuevre (28 Feb 1728)
Baji Rao I – one of India’s greatest warriors – has swept into public consciousness after ‘Bajirao Mastani’, a movie that celebrates his passionate love for the beautiful Muslim courtesan,
The Battle of Samugarh (29 May 1658)
Few figures in Indian History evoke as much revulsion as Aurangzeb. This sixth and last great Mughal Emperor was perhaps the reason for the Hindu – Muslim schism that rose
Battle of Haldi Ghati (21 June 1576)
Few battles have captured the collective imagination of Indians as much as Haldi Ghati. Though nowhere in the scale of the titanic struggles at Panipat, Talikota, Plassey or Tarain, it
Second Battle of Panipat (5 Nov 1556)
Hemu did not have much time to enjoy the throne of Delhi. Just three weeks after his victory at Tuglaqabad (See ‘The Outskirts of an Empire’) he
Battle of Tuglaqabad (7 Oct 1556)
It was the year 1556. Medieval India was in its usual state of political chaos. The lion’s flag of the Mughal Empire had been planted in Delhi after Babur’s
Battle of Chausa (26 Jun 1539)
Few historical figures have been as wrongly named as Humayun – which means lucky. This son of Babur, inherited the Mughal Empire from his father Babur (See ‘An
Battle of Ghaghra (6 May 1529)
Babur had attained the throne of Delhi after his victory over Ibrahim Lodhi in the battle of Panipat on 21 April 1526. He consolidated his hold over North India
Victory and Defeat at Tarain (End May 1192)
The bards of Rajasthan still sing stories of Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu ruler to sit on the throne of Delhi (that is if you discount Hemu’s fifteen day
Battle of Jhelum River (Mid May 326 BC)
This battle goes so back in time, that no one knows the exact date. The Battle of Hydaspes, between Alexandra and King Porus took place sometime in Mid-May 326 BC
The Sacred Grounds of Kurukshetra (Around Oct / Nov 3102 BC)
The Epic War Like all stories we must start at the beginning. And the story of Indian warfare begins over 5000 years ago on the sacred ground of Kurukshetra. This
Balakot and Beyond
On 14 February 2019 – a bloody Valentine’s Day – a Kashmiri youth Ahmad Dar slammed an explosive laden SUV into a CRPF convoy at Pulwama,
The Capture of Sinhgarh Fort – “Gad aala pan Sinh Gela” (4 Feb 1670)
Shivaji’s life reads like story book. He captured his first fort when he was just 16, waged a three decade long war against Aurangzeb and carved a Maratha Empire against
THE AFGHAN DEAL
The Deal On 9 March, the newly elected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was taking the oath in the Parliamentary lawns at Kabul. Just a block away, his rival Abdullah Abdullah
2019 – A YEAR IN CONFLICT
2019 has been a year of near misses. 269 instances of large and small conflicts involving 30 nations have been recorded, but fortuitously none has blown out of complete control.
THE ‘PANIPAT’ MOMENT
14 Jan 1761- ‘the blackest day in Indian History.’ A day when around 40-50000 Maratha warriors fell on the field of Panipat. Another 20-30,000 – mostly women and children –
ECHOES OF WAR
The standoff between Iran and US is becoming uglier by the day with Trump sending additional troops to the Middle East, Iran downing a US Global Hawk and Trump ordering a
Warfare in Outer Space
As Chandrayaan II takes off on its mission to the moon, India becomes only the fourth power to have launched a moon mission. Coming on the heels of the Anti-Satellite
PULWAMA, BALAKOT AND BEYOND—–
On 14 February, a Kashmiri youth, who had been indoctrinated and trained in Pakistan by the Jaish-e-Mohammed, rammed his explosive loaded SUV into a CRPF vehicle, killing himself and 40
THROUGH ORPHANED EYES
I wrote ‘Through Orphaned Eyes’ in the period 2013 – 2015. The book germinated in my mind, first as a story of India, as told through the eyes of an
A SPECTRUM OF MODERN WARFARE
“A Spectrum of Modern Warfare”, actually began as a series of articles on warfare which I had written over the past few years. it was my friend and editor Col
THE BATTLES THAT SHAPED INDIAN HISTORY
“The Battles that Shaped Indian History” was my first book which was written in the period 2009 to 2011. It came about while browsing through a book store in Delhi,
Rakt Ranjit
Proud to co-host RAKTRANJIT, a six-part television serial covering the major battles of India’s history. It is part of the venture to bring about a greater awareness of India’s rich
India’s Battles
Read of each of India’s major battles, complete with photos, videos and viewpoints. Let us re-live India’s military heritage
Books
The Battles that Shaped Indian History” , “A Spectrum of Modern Warfare” and “Through Orphaned Eyes
Travel & Photography
From a walk in the woods, to a journey across a continent — each is an experience to be captured and shared
