Himalayan Blunder

"Himalayan Blunder" was an extremely controversial war memoir penned by Brigadier John Parashuram Dalvi. It dealt with the causes, consequences and aftermath of the Sino-Indian War of 1962, that ended in Chinese People's Liberation Army inflicting a defeat on India. Incidentally, after the book was published, the term "Himalayan Blunder", began to be referred as a synonym for colossal failure in the context of Indian politics.

Brigadier Dalvi served in the Indian Army and gives a first-person account of the war. The book was banned by the Indian Government after its publicationFact|date=May 2007.

The Content

The book begins with the narration of Brg. Dalvi's days in the National Defence Academy. He narrates an incident where a guest faculty, a retired British official, warns India that China would overrun Tibet.

Brg. Dalvi also examines the position of Tibet "vis-a-vis" India and China. The British, he says, had insight into China's imperial ambitions. They had therefore cultivated Tibet as a buffer state. Expectedly, the Chinese attacked Tibet in 1950 and captured it. India did not protest the attackFact|date=May 2007 owing to Nehru's China-friendly policyFact|date=May 2007. The Chinese began constructing roads from Tibet leading to Aksai Chin near Ladakh. The Chinese had two major claims with respect to Indian territories -

1) Aksai Chin in the northeastern section of Ladakh District in Jammu and Kashmir.

2) British-designated North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), which is the present-day state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The War

When the war broke out on September 8, 1962, Nehru was away from India. The Chinese attacked simultaneously on the Ladakh area and NEFA. They managed to capture 11,000 km² of area in Aksai Chin and substantial area in NEFA. The Army Chief, General B.M. Kaul was enjoying a holiday in Kashmir. Dalvi further claims that B.M. Kaul was promoted to the position of General supplanting more capable, and senior officers because he was personally close to Nehru.

According to Dalvi, the Indian Army lacked leadership, equipment for mountain warfare, weaponry, and basic essentials like warm clothing, snow boots, and glasses. Brg Dalvi lavishes praise on his brigade's courage, bravery, and grit in face of superior opposition. Despite gaining territory, the Chinese army declared a unilateral ceasefire, while still maintaining the "status quo'.' "Brg. Dalvi was taken as prisoner of war along with their soldiers of his brigade. He was subsequently imprisoned for six months. Dalvi also records how China had meticulously planned the attack while officially it maintained a different posture.

Dalvi also examines the aftermath of the war. The Indian government held Defence Minister Krishna Menon, and General Brij Mohan Kaul responsible for the defeat and sacked them.