Op Kartikeya: Round Five in South Asia [Paperback]

Airavat Singh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 2004

"In the air force, time is measured in hours and minutes. The tactical movements that two opposing armies or navies engage in usually extend into days if not weeks. But when the opposing birds are set in motion the conflict is decisively altered in favor of one or the other."

It is 2005. The transfer of a new weapon system threatens stability in South Asia. The new government in Delhi sanctions Operation Kartikeya to end the status-quo of terrorism and nuclear blackmail.

Even as acts of terror and espionage reveal the surge of confidence in the enemy, the men and machines of the IAF gear up to meet the challenge.

Op Kartikeya displays the capability of the integrated headquarters, challenges the mettle of India's pilots, and tests the raw courage of its people.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Airavat Singh is a student of military history and has a keen interest in India?s strategic environment and defence policy.He has contributed articles on these subjects and has written a book on 18th Century India titled Last of the Mughals.The book is available for a free download on his website http://www.airavat.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (June 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595319459
• ISBN-13: 978-0595319459
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,562,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Operation Moked: Indian Style, June 28, 2004

By 

Matthew John (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Op Kartikeya: Round Five in South Asia (Paperback)

This book presents a fictional escalation sequence between India and Pakistan. The sequence is triggered by the secret transfer of minaturized sub-kiloton nuclear munitions from China to Pakistan. This development startles the Government of India and the prospect of these weapons being given by the Pakistan Army to Islamic terrorists looms large. An incident in the Arabian Sea reinforces this fear. Soon a very concerned Govt. of India seeks a military solution to its conflict with Pakistan. This gives the Indian Air Force, a chance to effect Operation Kartikeya, the Indian equivalent to Israel's Operation Moked in 1967.

Though the description of Govt. of India and its institutions is slightly dated, possibly more accurate in the early 90s, this should not be held against the author. The author has very successfully captured the chilling sense of confidence and aggression that pervades the halls of power in India. This will come as a slap to the face to all those senile idiots who insist that India is a country of snake charmers and bullock carts. Mr. Airavat's India is a lot closer to reality.

There are two ways to look at this book. The first, somewhat trivial way is to view this as a work of fiction that shows India "winning a war" against Pakistan. The second, non-trivial way, is to ignore the fictional part and to focus on the book as a commentary on India-Pakistan relations and the nature of Govt. of India's decision making. I find the former enjoyable and the latter instructive.

I highly recommend this book to all customers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Operation Moked: Indian Style., June 28, 2004

By 

Matthew John (U.K.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Op Kartikeya: Round Five in South Asia (Paperback)

This book presents a fictional escalation sequence between India and Pakistan. This escalation sequence is triggered by the secret transfer of sub-kiloton nuclear munitions from China to Pakistan. This development startles the Indian government and the prospect of these weapons being given by the Pakistani Army to Islamic terrorist groups looms large. An incident in the Arabian Sea reinforces this fear and soon a very concerned Government of India looks for a military solution to its conflict with Pakistan. This gives the Indian Air Force the chance to mount Operation Kartikeya, the Indian equivalent to Israel's Operation Moked in 1967.

The author's depiction of the inner workings of the Indian government, especially the description of the institutions is slightly dated - very 80s and early 90s, however the author is able to capture the chilling sense of confidence and aggression that pervades the halls of power in India. This book should come as a slap in the face to those senile idiots who keep spouting gibberish about India being a nation of bullock carts and snake charmers. The India of Mr. Airavat's book is much closer to reality.

There are two ways of looking at this book, the first is to view it as an attempt to depict a positive view of India's government position on security affairs and that is is essentially a fictional account where India wins a "war" with Pakistan. The second is to ignore the fictional aspect and to focus on it merely as commentary on the state of India-Pakistan affairs and on the nature of Indian decision making. This latter perspective is more instructive and I share it.

I strongly recommend this book, I think Airavat has done a great job and I look forward to reading any other books he may write on the issue of India-Pakistan.