‘Nowhere Man’: Biography of 1971 PoW Captain Kamal Bakshi out

New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) A new book released on Monday chronicles the moving story of the braveheart Captain Kamal Bakshi, a company commander who fought in the 1971 Indo-Pak War and went missing after the ‘Battle of Chhamb’, known to be the bloodiest battle of the war.

“Nowhere Man”, written by Captain Bakshi’s nephew Shivalik Bakshi, honours the war hero for his courage, trials and tribulations and his ultimate sacrifice in the service of the nation.

Although nobody from Captain Bakshi’s battalion had seen him get killed or been able to locate his body, the military declared him ‘Missing, Believed Killed’ — the ambiguous status assigned to soldiers when their death cannot be confirmed.

However, in 1979, the Ministry of External Affairs announced in Parliament that it had reasons to believe that at least 40 Indian prisoners of war (PoWs) were still in Pakistani custody and one of the names on the list was Captain Bakshi’s.

“The research for this book led me to some of the finest people I have ever met — people who shared their memories of my uncle with me. It was those stories that propelled me forward to write this book,” said the US-based author in a statement.

Captain Bakshi’s family believes that some Indian soldiers from the 1971 war — including possibly Captain Bakshi himself — are still imprisoned. The book, published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI), is their attempt to shed light on this issue.

It builds on Captain Bakshi’s journals and letters that his family carefully preserved, memories of his classmates from boarding school and the National Defence Academy (NDA), and his colleagues from the Indian Army to narrate an intimate account of his life.

Gurveen Chadha, executive commissioning editor at PRHI, said “Nowhere Man” is the “heart-wrenching” story of Captain Kamal Bakshi, the man who fought courageously for India.

“What is special about the book is that instead of painting Kamal as the unfortunate prisoner’, it instead pays tribute to his life as a brave soldier who gave up everything for his country, including his freedom,” Chadha in a statement.

The book, priced at Rs 296, is currently available for purchase across online and offline stores.