Recounted in third person by Dhirendra S Jafa, Wing Commander (Retd.) Indian Air Force, "Death Wasn't Painful", brought by Sage books, salutes the sacrifices made by these fighter pilots, many of whom were taken prisoners of war (POW) and spent months in Pakistani prisons before returning to India.
Jafa, who himself took part in countless bombing missions in erstwhile West Pakistan, was taken a prisoner of war following the crash of his SU-7 fighter bomber aircraft near North Lahore and was awarded Vir Chakra for the unparalleled bravery displayed in the battlefield.
The book, thus, is the tale of these 12 fighter pilots in enemy captivity- their deprivations, their longings for home and families, their interactions with Pakistani military officers and civilians is recounted.
It also recounts their not so latent pride in being Indians and representatives of a victorious nation, their indomitable spirit of freedom and their everyday struggles with boredom and loss of hope, while waiting behind bars in the country they had just defeated in the war.
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The experiences of POWs are finely drawn. A fighter pilot's life in actual combat, where death is but a glorious martyrdom, is juxtaposed with the tepid, monotonous and uninspiring life of prison, where brave, fearless soldiers ponder over the inevitability and futility of war.
In between these rather philosophical, often gloomy monologues on the pros and cons of war, there are personalised stories of individual valour and determination shown by Indian soldiers.