Harinder baweja biography of mahatma

As a journalist who covered the Kargil War, Harinder Baweja was right in the thick of the action, watching and observing it unfold.

In her book Kargil: The Inside Story, which was originally published in 2000, she revealed a reality of the war unknown to many of India’s citizens — the lack of preparedness on the part of the Indian contingent, and the obtrusive politics that cost many lives.

Baweja wrote the book as a soldier’s diary, fuelled by the firsthand stories of Indian and Pakistani troops, as well as information from After Action Reports (AAR) filed by units involved in the conflict.

Nineteen years after the war and 18 years after her book first came out, she speaks to Firstpost about her experiences in Kargil and how India has failed to learn from experience.

Why has the Kargil war been such an impactful part of history for you?