Indo-Pak War 1971 – Some Reminiscences

History records the India-Pakistan war of 1971 as the shortest war lasting 13 days – December 3 to 16, 1971.  It was an unfortunate civil war for the liberation of East Pakistan which had given a call for secession from the unity of Pakistan on March 26, 1971.  Whether long or short, a war is a brutal event that leaves only destruction and sorrow.  Liberation and freedom that follow are like a side-dish accompaniment to the main menu.

Brig. Suresh C. Sharma takes us through some foregoing episodes to the war.

Settled Strangers

Settled Strangers : Asian Business Elites in East Africa (1800-2000)

Author : Gijsbert Oonk

Sage Publications (I) Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi; Year:2013; Pages:270; Price:Rs.795

Reviewed by Brig. Suresh C. Sharma (retd.), freelance writer and adviser to the telecom industry.  E-mail: sureshsharma236@yahoo.com 

The term “settled strangers” is applied to a migrant population which has settled for three or more generations at a new location.  Alas, the “settlers” are not integrated with the local population.

The book aims at understanding the business, migration and economic history of the Asians in East Africa. It provides a history of South Asians through interviews with the families settled there.