Gritty tales from the Valley

During such nights,Major (Retd) Abhay Narayan Sapru,46,a former Indian Army-Special Forces officer,found an unlikely partner to keep boredom at bay — a novel. “While waiting to make ambushes on the enemy,I would read in short spurts to keep myself from falling asleep. It was mostly war stories,written by former American or British soldiers,” says Sapru,who has just penned his debut fiction novel,In The Valley of Shadows .

The book,which was launched two weeks ago,is based partly on his experiences during his three-and-a half year stint in the Lolab region of North Kashmir and the remainder is based on a tale “which is woven into fiction and embellished to tell a story”. In the novel,Sapru focuses on the three main characters; a village girl,a dreaded Mujahideen and an Army officer. The story follows the Army officer (Major Hariharan) along his posting in the Valley to hunt down a Mujahideen fighter. The book explores the mind of an Army jawan during such cordon-and-search operations in populated areas. It also exposes their vulnerability to temptations and emotions. “There are cases when the soldiers have been away from home for months,and the absence of a woman in their lives results in affectionate feelings for local girls. Even I had my moments,” says Sapru who served in most combat areas like Sri Lanka,the Northeast and Kashmir before retiring in 1998.

“ Through the book,I wanted to highlight what the jawans thought,how they lived and how they entertained themselves. I have deliberately kept the canvas small and characters are limited since I did not want to lose the punch,” says Sapru.