GUNNERS AT THE BATTLEFRONT

ASHOK KUMAR KHER was born in 1948 and grew up in Vicharnag, a suburb of Srinagar, Kashmir. As a child he had heard first hand stories of the attack by the Pakistani tribal Lashkar on Kashmir in 1947. In 1965 he saw for himself the war clouds forming over India and this motivated him to join the Army. In 1967, his dream came true when he was selected for the Short Service Commission (Non Technical) Officers’ Training School Madras and passed out in June 1968. Upon passing out he joined an Artillery Regiment, 127 Division Locating Battery as a Second Lieutenant. In 32 years of service Lt Col Kher has had a rewarding career where he got the unique opportunity to serve the entire spectrum of our borders along our two fierce adversaries-Pakistan and China.In 2000, Lt Col AK Kher hung up his boots and is leading a retired life.———RAVI KHER son of Lt Col AK Kher, grew up in Military Cantonments. The discipline inculcated then, helped him develop into a career Banker and a commodity trader having spent 17 years in East Asia. The Covid-19 lockdown turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it allowed time to be devoted to writing this book which in the usual circumstances would have been impossible.