Rachna Bisht Rawat - Shoot, Dive, Fly: Stories of Grit and Adventure from The Indian Army

Dear reader

As I write to you from a shaded corner of my lawn, lounging on my red beanbag, my book finally finished, spring has sprung upon Delhi Cantonment. The birds are chirping, bright-pink bougainvillea blossoms are sprouting and Huzoor, our huge two-year-old Golden Retriever, is lying on his back, trying to get an upside down view of the world. Michael Jaikisan, our resident dancing peacock with the long, shimmering tail, is perched on the gate, watching Huzoors lack of dignity with undisguised disgust.

Believe it or not, this beautiful oasis exists in the middle of dusty, polluted Delhi, where at this very moment, the roads are jammed with screeching, honking, poison-spewing vehicles. A quiet, peaceful, tree-lined residence is just one of the perks that the Army gives you. The others are plush gymnasiums, Olympic-sized swimming pools, squash and tennis courts, swanky schools that dont demand donations, state-of-the-art hospitals, plush Messes, open-air cinema halls andthe most precious of allfriends for life.

I have spent all of my forty-seven years (Im afraid Im ancient!) in various Army cantonments across the country. My dad was in the Army (so is my husband!) and believe me, it is a beautiful world unparalleled by anything I see outside. It always surprises me that more kids dont look at the Army as a viable career. Its probably because they dont know much about it, I used to tell myself. And so, when Penguin Random House decided to do a book about the Indian Army, and editor Sohini Mitra offered the job to me, I was happy to write it.

This book is meant to introduce you to the whole universe that the Army actually is, which is often one that people outside dont really know exists. Did you know that the Army is a career that lets you do things like skydiving, rally driving, mountaineering, flying a helicopter to work while you are on the job? You get paid to do things youd like to pay forand often even those chances never arise.

This book will tell you what Army officers actually do through the stories from the lives of twenty-one Army officers. You might just discover that they are living out some of your favourite fantasies. They werent difficult to find; the fact is that every Army officer has an interesting story to tell, but since they are not supposed to talk about their work and missions, we never get to hear about these adventures. This is the first time Indian soldiers have shared what they do because the Indian Army came forward and generously gave us permission to interview young officerssomething they have never done for a book before. I hope that you will find some of these stories thrilling, some nail-bitingly unbelievable, some might make you chuckle, others might fill you with the desire to jump out of a plane with a parachute on your back or maybe fly a helicopter over the Siachen Glacier. Ill admit as wellI am very much hoping that these stories will make some of you want to be a part of the Indian Army.

If that happens, dont hesitate. Just step across the invisible line that separates the magical folk in olive-greens from the rest of the world; the Army waits to envelop you in its warm group hug. All it asks from you in return is a fit body, a brave heart, a healthy mind and the capacity to live life to its fullest.

Do you have it in you?

Rachna Bisht Rawat