Understanding Kashmir Through 7 Military Books: History, Conflict, and Courage

Part memoir and part stark chronicle of conflict, Kashmir in the Line of Fire takes readers deep into one of the harshest theatres of military operations. Drawing from over a decade and a half of experience of Maj Gen Ranjan Mahajan on the land, the book captures the realities of militancy in Kashmir, the resilience of the Indian Army, and the hardships of civilians living amid constant uncertainty.

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If Kashmir’s conflicts have ever felt distant or abstract, Flowers on a Kargil Cliff brings you uncomfortably close. Written by war correspondent Vikram Jit Singh, the book places you alongside soldiers on near-vertical cliffs during the Kargil War. Reporting with the courage of a soldier, Singh brings unpublished photographs and deeply personal human stories from Kashmir that feel intimate, honest, and unforgettable.

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If you want to understand how Kashmir has changed over the decades, this book is a great place to start. Written by Lt Gen Satish Dua, PVSM, UYSM, SM, VSM, A General Reminisces draws on nearly 40 years of his service in Kashmir, from 1980 to 2018. Lt Gen Dua reflects on shifting politics, life along the Line of Control, and how the Indian Army adapted to evolving militancy.

Buy here: A General Reminisces: A Life Under Fire in Kashmir

Remember the conflict in Kashmir after Independence? If not, Slender was the Thread takes you back to that moment when Kashmir’s fate hung by a thread. The book traces the hardships of the snowbound and isolated 161st Infantry Brigade as it defended Kashmir against overwhelming odds in 1947-48. Beyond that, you get to see political decisions that shaped the conflict in Kashmir and how the first war Indian soldiers fought under Indian command.

Most histories of Jammu and Kashmir focus narrowly on the Valley and militancy, but this book asks you to zoom out. A Modern History of Jammu and Kashmir explores the wider political and military story, including why Maharaja Hari Singh chose accession to India after Pakistan-backed tribal invasions in 1947. It also brings long-ignored voices to the forefront, especially the soldiers of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces who fought during the invasion.

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When a conflict has shaped generations, how do you even begin to imagine peace? In The Kashmir Conundrum, former Indian Army Chief, General Nirmal Chander Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, himself from Jammu and Kashmir, takes on that question head-on.

Drawing on his firsthand experience, he traces the journey of Kashmir from its people and accession to India, through wars, Kargil, Parliament attack, Pulwama, Balakot, and the abrogation of Article 370. It is a ground-up perspective on what has been—and what the future might hold.

Kashmir’s story is often told from one side of the Line of Control but rarely from the other. In Between the Great Divide, award-winning writer Anam Zakaria travels through Pakistan-administered Kashmir to listen to voices long kept out of the conversation. Deeply empathetic and quietly powerful, this book breaks the silence and reminds us that Kashmir’s conflict is ultimately about people, not just borders or politics.

Buy here: Between the Great Divide: A Journey into Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Taken together, these books remind us that Kashmir cannot be understood through a black-and-white lens. It is not just a battlefield, a political dispute, or a headline that resurfaces. Kashmir is lived every day—by soldiers who guard it, civilians navigating uncertainty, families divided by borders, and individuals making difficult choices in extraordinary circumstances.

These books show us courage and loss, strategy and sacrifice, but also resilience and humanity in Kashmir. Because to read about Kashmir is to accept its complexity—and to recognise that behind every conflict are people whose stories deserve to be heard.

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