‘The Indian and Pakistani armies were born out of the same womb,’ says Probal DasGupta

In Camouflaged — Forgotten Stories from Battlefields, Probal DasGupta looks at India’s history from the lens of war stories. In an interview, DasGupta says the stories explore intriguing relationships between mates, adversaries and covers intrigue, loss, valour, victory and sacrifices that recount real experiences. Edited excerpts:

What inspired you to write this book?

I felt India’s history needs to be told from the lens of war stories, since they help contextualise our history. A narrative account of protagonists helps understand the bigger picture. For instance, in a story from the 1962 war, a protagonist was ordered to withdraw from a battle he was winning — a classic irony of an inept political and military senior leadership overruling a brave young leader on ground. Then there was a story from the 1971 India-Pakistan war that reflects a confident nation.