Publish with Us

Follow Penguin

Follow Penguinsters

Follow Penguin Swadesh

India at War

India at War

Empires, Battles and the making of a Nation

Col. D.P.K. Pillay
Select Preferred Format
Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

India’s story has never been one of uninterrupted peace or of permanent defeat. It is the story of a civilization that has endured invasions, empires, partitions and wars, yet has never surrendered its identity. Across millennia, kingdoms rose and fell, frontiers shifted and conquerors came and went. India was wounded at times, divided at others, but always capable of renewal.

From ancient battlefields to the World Wars, where Indian soldiers fought under a foreign Crown, and to the mountains of Kashmir, where they defended a newly independent India, generations answered the call of duty. Their courage shaped history far beyond the subcontinent, yet many of their stories faded into obscurity. The history of India’s wars is therefore not merely a record of battles fought, but a testament to a people who refused to forget who they were. It restores these forgotten stories to their rightful place in India’s civilizational journey.

More than a chronicle of campaigns and commanders, India at War explores memory, sacrifice, resilience and the enduring spirit of a civilization. It explores how India survived when many empires vanished into history and why its identity endured despite centuries of conflict.

Imprint: Vintage Books

Published: Aug/2026

ISBN: 9789377301040 (Hardback)

Length : 368 Pages

MRP : ₹699.00

India at War

Empires, Battles and the making of a Nation

Col. D.P.K. Pillay

India’s story has never been one of uninterrupted peace or of permanent defeat. It is the story of a civilization that has endured invasions, empires, partitions and wars, yet has never surrendered its identity. Across millennia, kingdoms rose and fell, frontiers shifted and conquerors came and went. India was wounded at times, divided at others, but always capable of renewal.

From ancient battlefields to the World Wars, where Indian soldiers fought under a foreign Crown, and to the mountains of Kashmir, where they defended a newly independent India, generations answered the call of duty. Their courage shaped history far beyond the subcontinent, yet many of their stories faded into obscurity. The history of India’s wars is therefore not merely a record of battles fought, but a testament to a people who refused to forget who they were. It restores these forgotten stories to their rightful place in India’s civilizational journey.

More than a chronicle of campaigns and commanders, India at War explores memory, sacrifice, resilience and the enduring spirit of a civilization. It explores how India survived when many empires vanished into history and why its identity endured despite centuries of conflict.

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

Col. D.P.K. Pillay

Col DPK Pillay, PhD, Shaurya Chakra, is a decorated war veteran and a third-generation soldier commissioned into one of India’s oldest regiments. After being severely wounded in combat during counter-insurgency operations in Punjab, Kashmir, Assam and Manipur, he transitioned to high-level strategic governance, serving in the Ministry of Defence and shaping policy matters at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).

His international humanitarian and diplomatic footprint includes serving with the International Red Cross in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and acting as an International Research Advisor to the Korean War Memorial Organization. A Korea Foundation Fellow, he is an alumnus of Fordham University and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

error: Content is protected !!