'The Curious and the Classified': Former army chief General MM Naravane launches new book after memoir controversy

NEw new delhi [ bharat], apr 22 (ANI): Former regular army Chief superior general MM Naravane (Retd) has come out with a new book, a work of non-fiction, which follows after controversies earlier this year surrounding his previous work, 'Four Stars of Destiny', which remains unpublished.In the book titled 'The Curious and the Classified: Unearthing Military Myths and Mysteries', Gen Naravane "pulls aside the still-drawn curtains on some of the most riveting and compelling arcana that colour the legends and lore of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force," his publisher Rupa Publications announced on Wednesday. "A compelling exploration of the myths and memories that define India's armed forces. A chronicle of courage, culture and curiosity in uniform," reads the book's description.Last month, at a book signing event held in Pune for 'The Cantonment Conspiracy', a murder-mystery that was released in 2025, the former Army Chief had told reporters that he was now into fiction writing, apart from penning military reports for academic journals.The former Army chief got embroiled in a controversy after his unpublished memoir was cited by the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to target the Centre over the 2020 standoff against China. On February 2, this year, during the motion of thanks on the President's Address, Lok Sabha witnessed sharp verbal exchanges after Gandhi sought to quote a magazine article containing excerpts from General Naravane's unpublished memoir.Gandhi's reply was interrupted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who raised concerns that a Congress MP cannot quote from an unpublished book, which he said has not been authenticated. The ruling benches objected to Gandhi's attempt to cite excerpts from the book. The row escalated to an extent where Opposition MPs brought a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, with allegedly not letting Rahul Gandhi speak in the House being one of the reasons. The motion was dropped after a voice vote in the second phase of the Budget Session of the Parliament.Penguin Random House India had in February said it holds the exclusive publishing rights to the former Army Chief's memoir and clarified that the book has not yet been published. Gen Naravane had also clarified that no copies of the book "in print or digital form have been published, distributed, sold," or otherwise made available to the public.Meanwhile, Gen Naravane's new book of non-fiction delves into lesser-known stories of the Indian military. It traces the 17th- and 18th-century Sikh army roots of the popular cheer "Chak de Phatte", examines the life of "enduring spirit" Captain Baba Harbhajan Singh, who is celebrated in military folklore.Naravane recounts the story of Badluram, the inspiration behind the foot-tapping number 'Badluram ka Badan', who was killed in action in the 1944 Battle of Kohima and notes how Bangalore (now Bengaluru) came to be associated with a weapon that was regarded as a game-changer during World War I.Other interesting aspects the book examines include "the fate of INS Khukri, the extraordinary sagas of airmen and their call signs, or the raw courage of Pedongi, the military mule"The book forays into the "underexplored, bizarre and often wildly amusing aspects of our armed forces," according to the publisher.The blurb of the non-fiction features a note from General VP Malik (Retd), who had also contributed to 'Four Stars of Destiny.'The publisher has described the book as "a captivating, eye-opening, boots-on-the-ground page-turner that will excite anyone who refuses to settle for surface-level truths."Gen Naravane served as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022. Commissioned in the 7th Battalion, the Sikh Light Infantry in 1980, he has, in his illustrious career of over four decades, served in active peacekeeping and diplomatic roles abroad and commanded operations along India's most sensitive frontiers. He has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal. (ANI)