Watershed 1967: India's Forgotten Victory over China is a book by Probal Dasgupta, a former Indian army veteran. The book was published by Juggernaut Books and was released in February 2020.[1] The book narrates the accounts of the events during 1967 when the troops from India and China clashed at the heights of Cho La and Nathu La at the Sikkim border and the events following after it.[2]
 First edition | |
| Author | Probal DasGupta |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Publisher | Juggernaut Books |
Publication date | 17 February 2020 |
| Publication place | India |
| Media type | Paperback, E-book, Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 309 |
| ISBN | 9789353450939 |
Overview
editThe book provides descriptive accounts of the period after the first India-China War in 1962, leading to the India-Pakistan war in 1965. The narrative extends to the period after 1967, which includes the events leading to the India-Pakistan war in 1971, along with the impact and repercussions in history on relations between India and China.[2]
The book mentions the various standoffs between India and China in the last 50 years, including the Sumdorung Chu in 1987, Depsang, Dault Beg Oldi, and Doklam in 2017 besides also describing other key events, military and political leadership issues, their significance and impact on India's international relations, especially with China.[3][4]
Reception
editThe book has been reviewed and featured in mainstream media by The Telegraph (India),[5] Business Standard,[6] and The Hindu,[7] Outlook,[8] and Mathrubhumi.[9] The book also appeared at the Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh in Dec 2020.[10][11]
Shekhar Gupta, an Indian Author and a Journalist, described it as “[An] engagingly written page-turner of a book… a valuable addition to the still thin genre of military biography in India” while Husain Haqqani, Author of India vs. Pakistan, said that the book “Sheds light on little known facts…” and is “…critical for anyone following the India-China competition”.[12]
The book received the attention of the Former Retired Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramaniam, the author of India's Wars, who praised the book for being “Well-researched…” and added that, “DasGupta is a gifted storyteller with a real feel for battle.”[7]
Oxford historian and China scholar Rana Mitter writes that the book, Watershed 1967 “.....makes a convincing case that the Indian victory in 1967 forced a rethink by China that ultimately shaped the subcontinent. This fascinating and captivating book will be an excellent guide to comprehend why the scars in the China-India relationship have not yet healed.”....and finds DasGupta's prose “full of clipped emotion describing how it must have felt when the bullets started to fly.”[5]
The rights for the book were acquired by Story Ink, a Mumbai-based books-to-film agency that hopes to create a film based on it in the near future with the partnership of Vikram Lamba of Bion Films.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Watershed 1967: India's forgotten victory over China: 9789353450939". Juggernaut Books. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Forgotten and shelved: When Indian troops trounced the Chinese at Nathu La". 20 December 2020.
- ^ "Watershed 1967: India's forgotten war with China". 27 May 2020.
- ^ "Book Review - The watershed: India's forgotten victory over China". 28 May 2022.
- ^ a b "The old scars remain: Sino-Indian war of 1967". The Telegraph (India). Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "A forgotten war". Business Standard. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Watershed 1967: India's Forgotten Victory over China review: Fiery Himalayan encounters at Nathu La and Cho La". The Hindu. April 11, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "India's forgotten war with China". Outlook (Indian magazine). May 26, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "India's forgotten war with China". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "India's forgotten victory over China in 1967 surfaces at Military Literature Festival". The Tribune (Chandigarh). December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "India's forgotten victory over China in 1967 surfaces at MLF". 19 December 2020.
- ^ "The so very predictable Chinese: Ladakh episode should come as no surprise".
- ^ "Story Ink to make film on book recounting India's 1967 victory over China at Sikkim border". ThePrint. 24 June 2020.