Twentieth Century witnessed revolutionary changes in all spheres of human life. More changes took place in that century than in the previous few millennia. Man moved from the age of horse and bullock cart to space travel. Moon no longer remained only a poetic fantasy, it had become a tourist destination. Time and space got conquered, as we entered the age of instant communication. Half way through the century, India emerged from being a backward imperial dependency to a modern sovereign democratic republic. By the end of the Century, the country started showing signs of becoming a global economic power. A remarkable feature has been that the Indian Army has always remained an instrument for imposing the Nation’s will, and not for imposing its will on the Nation. No military or civil dictator -a Cromwell, Napoleon, Mussolini or Hitler -ever took over the reins of power in our country, much less any military coup which has been so endemic in the Third World.

The author has lived most of his life in the Twentieth Century with bulk of the period serving in the Indian Army. Without attempting an autobiography or writing a history of events as such, he has recounted his personal reminiscences of the changes that he witnessed in society, administration and tenor of life. These reminiscences give a glimpse of the changing times which have now become part of history. They provide a personal and human flavour to them. These reminiscences, largely of Army milieu, are good material for relaxed and light reading.