s time passes on events are looked at very differently. For those of us, born after the 1962 war or even those, who were old enough to understand what led to the 1962 war, this is an excellent book to read.
DR Mankekar was a journalist who worked in the years before the 1962 war. This book gives a good prospective on the events leading upto the 1962 war -- the positions taken by India and China through the 1950s and early 1962, the defence establishment at the time of the war, the reactions of the opposition parties in the parliament as new information on China entering the Askai Chin became public, Nehru's reactions, his utopian ideas, etc.
There is also a letter written by Sardar Patel to Nehru after independence on the threat from China. This letter has been published in Jaswant Singh's book "A call to honour".
For anybody who wants to understand the 1962 war, this book by Mankekar and the letter by Sardar Patel are an essential read. After reading the book and the letter, I wonder whether much has changed in 50 years and whether we are better prepared to face challenges facing us.