| Summary/Abstract |
Legends in the military are born in martyrdom and adversity. In the isolated and desolate spots where soldiers serve, the melancholy quiet and deepening shadows of late evenings create illusions which bring to life the spirits of dead warriors. Soon shrines get created at such places to honour them. If the shrine is on a road, passers-by stop and pay obeisance. If it is off the beaten track, the martyr’s memory lives on in local folklore. In Arunachal Pradesh, the first category is Rifleman (Rfn) Jaswant Singh of 4th Battalion, the Garhwal Rifles. In the second is Havildar Shere Thapa of 2nd Battalion, the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles. The author tells the latter’s story intertwined with operations in the upper Subansiri in November 1962.
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