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Decisive Battles
Recalling Siachen 1987
Speakers
In 1984, amid escalating tensions at the border between India and Pakistan, the Indian Army raised the 28 Infantry Division in Ladakh, which was responsible for safeguarding the entire northern stretch of the Indian border, including the Line of Control with Pakistan and the Tibetan/Chinese area of the Karakoram Pass.
Siachen, 1987: Battle for the Frozen Frontier tells the story of Lt Gen. Ramesh Kulkarni’s command of this infantry division, giving readers the rare opportunity to view the Siachen glacier and the army’s involvement in the region through the lens of a commander.
Co-authors, Lt. Gen Kulkarni and Anjali Karpe discuss this memoir that gives a blow-by-blow account of the important combat operations during Kulkarni’s tenure – Operation Rajiv, in which the Quaid Post held by Pakistan was captured; and Operation Vajr Shakti, undertaken to thwart the Pakistani attempt to capture Bilafond La. Alongside thrilling descriptions of military prowess, the conversation will also speak to the human cost of the Siachen conflict: being expected to thrive in treacherous terrain and an environment that has claimed innumerable lives.
Between a talk, a dialogue and some conversations, we promise to open the world of Siachen and the army’s involvement in a terrain that has been brutal, treacherous and demanding.
Speakers
Ramesh Kulkarni
Lt Gen Ramesh Kulkarni was commissioned in the Garhwal Rifles Infantry in June 1956. In the course of his career, he commanded his battalion in high altitude Arunachal Pradesh, an Infantry Brigade in counter-insurgency Nagaland and an Infantry Division on the Siachen Glacier. He was the Director General of the Assam Rifles and retired as the Adjutant General of the Indian army.
In the course of his service, Gen Kulkarni was the recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.
Post his retirement Gen Kulkarni was appointed as the Chairman of the Ceasefire monitoring/Supervisory set-ups for monitoring and enforcement of ceasefire agreements signed by the Government of India with Naga groups headed by Issac-Muivah and Khaplang.
Anjali Karpe
Anjali Karpe is Gen. Kulkarni’s daughter and currently the Deputy Head and Head of Student Life of the Bombay International School in Mumbai. She teaches English Literature and History to secondary and high school students and is passionate about holistic education, empowering student leaders and nurturing student agency. Anjali completed her BA Honours from the Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi and her Masters in English Literature from Delhi University. She went on to do her M.Phil. from Mumbai University with a research paper on Amitav Ghosh.
