In Despatches from Kargil, Srinjoy Chowdhury, who covered the war for the Statesman, recounts what it was like for journalists to battle against deadlines, shellfire and particularly vicious bedbugs to transmit their reports. He draws a graphic imagery of the major assaults, such as in Drass and Batalik, relying heavily on the first-hand accounts of those who took part in the action. There are memorable portrayals of the soldiers and officers too sometimes from the other side as well. This is war reportage at its best: observant, objective and, ultimately, for all the wry understatement, extremely moving

'If I don't inform the platoon commander (about the presence of the enemy), he will be overrun, I thought. And all because of me. I was wounded. I couldn't walk. I must have been hit about fifteen times, in the leg, the chest, the groin and arm..

I began crawling down...'