I Was a Prisoner of War in China

Lt Col KN Bakshi, author of I was a Prisoner of War in China, retired from the Indian Army 18 years back and settled down in the USA. Though the border war of 1962 may have been too insignificant an incident in the history of the Nation, for individuals like the author involved in the actual fight, it was an unforgettable experience, details of which are indelibly etched on his heart. This book reveals for the first time, a true and human story of a soldier who carries physical disabilities to this day from this war. Details of a Chinese prison camp come out vividly after an exhausting war and capture. The designated ground as prison camps had nothing to eat and there were no medical facilities. At the altitude of 8000 ft. blankets were stolen by brother soldiers to keep themselves warm. Wounds continued to bleed for lack of medicare. Colonel Bakshi received 5 bullet wounds, metal fragments of grenades resulting in abnormal blood loss and severe pain. And surgery was performed by a Chinese doctor in the open field without the normal facilities of an operation room. All the baser and finer traits of an individual’s character come to the fore in this first-person story.