Son of Wing Commander NS Naravane (Retd), Gen Naravane was commissioned in 7 SIKH Light Infantry (Sikh LI) in June 1980. He is the third general from the illustrious Sikh LI Regiment to become Chief of the Army Staff, with the other two being Gens VP Malik and Bikram Singh. After his retirement he wrote his first book, his autobiography, ‘Four Stars of Destiny,’ which awaits clearance from the government, as it is likely to dwell upon ‘sensitive issues’ such as the Agniveers, Galwan Valley clashes, and the Chinese troop movements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2020 when the India-China border standoff occurred, as the government feels details about Pulwama, Galwan, and the Agniveers are ‘sensitive issues.’ Nonetheless, unlike the other senior veterans, Gen Naravane has come up with his second book, ‘The Cantonment Conspiracy—A Military Thriller.’
The Sikh LI Regimental Centre, earlier located at Meerut, was shifted after the 1971 War from Meerut to Fatehgarh in western Uttar Pradesh along the right bank of the Ganga, also known as the home of the Rajput Regimental Centre (RRC), besides the stationing of one infantry battalion during its peacetime tenure.
Not many retired senior politicians, bureaucrats, administrators, technocrats, or generals write their autobiographies, memoirs, or books on wars and geo-strategy, though some biographies have indeed been written. However, there are some notable exceptions, and General MM Naravane is one of them; he has written an engaging fictional military thriller that draws on his personal experiences and reflects the settings of his parental Regimental Centre in Fatehgarh, which is located on the right bank of the river Ganga. This area includes both the Sikh Rifles Regimental Centre (SRRC) and the Frontier Force Regimental Centre (FFRC), which are situated at Fathepuri, a short distance from Farrukh Nagar, also on the right bank of the river Ganga. The setting of the fictional military thriller in June 2026 coincides with the commissioning of the first batch of female cadets of the National Defense Academy (NDA), Pune, from the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.
Lieutenant Rohit Verma is a third-generation Sikh Rifles Officer commissioned in 17 Sikh Rifles. Both his grandfather and father were decorated officers who previously served in the 17 Sikh Rifles, and his father, now a Major General, had recently been the Centre Commandant of the Sikh Rifles. Lieutenant Renuka Khatri from the 1st batch of the women commissioned officers and Lieutenant Rohit Verma were commissioned together in the Sikh Rifles in June 2026. After two weeks’ leave, they travel together by train from Delhi to Farrukh Nagar to reach their center for the orientation training. While Rohit, with his regimental connectivity, is at home in the Regimental Centre, Renuka, with her complete civilian background, keenly observes, learns, and adapts to military culture. Nonetheless, both Rohit and Renuka, while trying to prove their worthiness, are very popular. Altogether, eight of them were commissioned in the regiment, and they were distributed as two officers each to the training companies as understudies. Both Rohit and Renuka were attached to the Kalidhar Training Company commanded by Lt. Col. Moti Singh, slightly bitter, having been overlooked for promotion and thoroughly against women being in the army, let alone the infantry! Rohit also met his childhood friend Rehmat, whose mother, Zareena, worked as a cook in the commandant’s house, and he knew many officers, staff, and the head butler, Jeevan Singh, in the Officers Mess, also affectionately named ‘The Retreat.’ Jeevan was the real force in the Officers Mess and explained to them that the Mess, an old British building, resembled a veritable museum filled with solid leather sofas, expensive carpets, silver trophies, a leopard mount over a hundred years old shot by the British officer who owned the building, a tiger’s paw in a glass case, miniature Mughal paintings, a gold-plated tea set, and many more vintage pieces. The Officers’ Mess is one of the most hallowed institutions that is not only a home away from home but also a source of pride where the honor and glory of the Regiment are on display. The Mess had a big, well-maintained lawn where parties were held and the regimental band played haunting music. Along the lawn close by there was a gap in the boundary wall leading to a rose garden, a bit of a secluded place hidden by trees and bushes and a track leading to the local village and the river Ganga, where Rohit used to meet his childhood friend Rehmat in the evenings.
The young officers were kept busy with various training events, including grasping the regiment, honing their skills, and learning what soldiers were trained to do once they joined their battalions. According to tradition, all officers upon commissioning are formally welcomed into the Regiment and dine in the Officers’ Mess, and all eight newly commissioned officers were thrilled to receive formal invitations. As guests, the newly commissioned officers arrived last and were welcomed by Brig Menon, the Commandant, while the official photographer clicked many photographs amidst the sounds of music and laughter drifting across the lawn. Officers and ladies enjoyed their drinks, gossiping and dancing as the band played evergreen Bollywood songs, English classics, and Punjabi numbers. Dance by Renuka and Rohit charged the atmosphere with the ‘Chak de phatte’ call. The young officers gyrated wildly to a Punjabi number struck up by the band. At the party, the young officers mingled with officers and ladies, and they met Mrs. Anamika Chaddha, a former Miss India and wife of Lt. Colonel Mukesh Chaddha. Rohit, infatuated with Rehmat, quietly walked away to the rose garden as he saw a figure on the edge of the lawn walking towards him. He first thought it was Rehmat, but the sobbing sari-clad lady definitely was one of the regimental ladies, followed by a blood-curdling scream and a shadow mauling and knocking her to the ground. Hearing her screams, some officers nearby rushed in that direction and found bleeding Anamika pointing towards Rohit standing close-by. All hell broke loose thereafter. While Anamika was evacuated to Military Hospital, the party went for six, and even Brig. Menon, the Commandant, suspected Rohit in the alleged assault.
The Court of Inquiry (COI) was ordered by the Commandant. I will not disclose any further details to preserve the suspense regarding the progress of the COI and Rehmat’s assistance to Rohit and Renuka in their investigation to find the killer. She, as part of the central trio, dubbed ‘RRR’ (Rohit, Renuka, Rehmat), raced against time to uncover a murder and catch the real culprit before he could strike again.
I, at 83 years of age, was thoroughly engrossed reading the 229 pages of ‘Cantonment Conspiracy—A Military Thriller’ written by Gen. Naravane and published by Penguin Random House, India, in two sittings and wonder if Bollywood will make a thrilling film on it! And yes, I eagerly await the clearance and release of General’s autobiography and his first book, ‘Four Stars of Destiny,’ and will read and comment on it too.