‘My Own Trumpet, My Own Drum’ by Lt Col Ambat Madhav Menon portrays the varied experiences of a soldier, who started his career as 2nd lieutenant and rose on to become Lt Colonel after several years of dedicated service to the motherland with sheer determination, discipline, hard work, patience and consistency towards the soldier's duty against hardship and adversity.

The book is a brilliant account of various experiences from commencement as a junior officer, that are interesting, humorous, strange and difficult situations and as to how a soldier has to consistently do his duty with the attitude , "Do or Die ''.

An interesting extract from the book, the author says, "During my last and fourth month at the OTS(Officers Training School), the Commandant gave his usual talk one day. The cadets of my Company also had to attend, although we had heard the lecture three times already. On that day ,the lecture was scheduled for 9.30am and my Company had a Bayonet drill from 8 to 9am. When we were seated in the lecture hall and the Commandant had droned away in a dull and soporific voice for ten minutes, I started feeling sleepy. One hour's bayonet drill can be very fatiguing. My eyelids drooped and I started nodding my head, the Brigadier saw this, ``Wake Up that man", he shouted. Although dozing I could hear the shout, I woke up, "Stand Up" he said."Stand Up where you are, let everyone see you" I obeyed implicitly. After the talk, the Brigadier left the dais and the cadets came out and were marched away by Companies. I was well known in the OTS by this time. I was a sort of Man of the Moment! The other cadets pulled my leg about my sleeping in the Commandant's class. I waited anxiously to be called up on a charge before the Company Commander, but the summons did not come till the evening and I breathed  a sigh of relief.

"When the period of our training at the OTS came to an end after three weeks, some of the cadets of my Company were sent to the School of Artillery at Deolali for further training before being commissioned as officers. Before leaving the OTS. Each one of us was interviewed by the Commandant. When my turn came, I walked into the Commandant's office and saluted smartly. The Brigadier smiled and wished me Good Morning, shook hands with me and said that I had done well so far, it was a honour to be selected for a commission in the Artillery as only the best cadets were so selected(he was an Infantry man himself),he was sure that I would continue to do well at the School of Artillery and wished me all the very best and hoped that I would become a distinguished Gunner Officer and again shook hands with me, I thanked him saluted and marched out. Just when I had reached the door, the Brigadier called 'Hey Menon" and as I paused he winked his right eye and said "Remember to keep awake at the Commandant's lecture at the School of Artillery, Don't go to sleep as you did in my lecture, "I thought it was jolly nice of the old boy to make such a good natured crack as a parting shot".

Published by V&S Publishers,New Delhi, with 51 chapters and epilogue covering 152 pages with pictures of Menon and his family, the book is a must read for anyone who interested in the armed forces and the significance of defence personnel, the contribution and sacrifices of soldiers for the motherland in order to protect its countrymen towards any calamity or disaster that might occur.

The first chapter interpretes the training in Officers Training School in Deolali which is mandatory for every soldier. The training is difficult and strenuous and trains soldiers to become physically agile and mentally alert, the other chapters are Brains and Courage, In Chhindwara, The General's visit, Colonel One, Intelligent discussion, Compliments from the Army Commander, Waltzing with Cynthia, Quit India, The Colonel's Right Hand, Four Weeks of Greatness, Dinner for a General, My Letter to the Chief, Linguistic Integration, The Ketchup and Cornflakes, The General at the Tattoo, Te Rocket from the Commandant, The Subaltern's Love Affair, You are an Alsation, Women Management, From the Nilgiris to the Himalayas, The Brigade Headquarters, Paper Work, The Brigadier on Leave, The Division Commander, The BasketBall Court., The Guardsman's Lanyard, Thrill of the Snow, Ski-ing Holiday, The End of the Thrill:, Visitors, UN Observers, Anna, I catch a Fish, Stopping in Srinagar, The Cease Fire Line, The Band Wurdi, The H One, Vehicle on a slope, Army Commander's Exercise, The Miracle of Green Grass, Some have Greatness Thrust on Them, The President's Visit, No Leave, The Great Hoax, Posting Orders, Good Bye to the Brigade, Far East Interlude and lastly the Epilogue.

Menon with his optimistic attitude with a humorous touch takes the readers on a long journey of amusement. thrill, adventure, embarrassment, problems, difficulties, enjoyment, success etc

In one of the chapters when Menon was incharge of the officers mess, the General's wife telephones him and accuses him of being a mouse, but Menon being a man of tremendous mental ability, takes such brickbats to his stride and suggests to his seniors that a class should be organised for the soldiers as to how to deal and manage women, particularly while dealing with the wives of senior officers which was not an easy task.

Menon also narrates his varied experiences while dealing with Generals and Brigadiers and as to how important it was to obey orders with meticulous concern over fulfilling your duties with sincerity and perfection, as no carelessness or mistakes will be tolerated. If mistakes are made and repeated, you are likely to be punished, black listed or suspended from your services as a soldier. Menon with due respects to his senior officers, always obeyed their orders with complete concern and honesty and ultimately winning their praise and accolades, climbing the steps to success and finally retiring as Lt Colonel, which indeed was a great achievement and not an easy task, as you are consistently tested and you have to prove your calibre and ability to do better and better.

Lt Colonel A.M.Menon graduated from Madras Christian College at Tambaram with a Master of Arts degree in 1940. Soon after, he joined the staff of The Mail in Madras as a sub Editor. In 1943 he was selected for military training and was commissioned to join as 2nd Lieutenant in the Regiment of Artillery in 1944. As a regimental officer, Col Menon served in the old North West Province,Waziristan and Middle East during the last World War. At the time of the Partition in India, he was serving with a regiment in Hyderabad(Sind) and returned to India in 1947 After Independence he served in several in several regimental, staff and instructional appointments He graduated from the Defence Staff College in 1953 and appointed as Brigade Major of an Infantry in Kashmir. In December 1961 he went to Saigon (Vietnam) as the General Staff Officer Grade 2 for the International Commission for Supervision and Control. On return to India in October1962, he joined the field artillery regiment then involved in the operation in NEFA. In early 1963 he was promoted to Lt Colonel and commanded an artillery regiment in Sikkim. He became a General Staff Officer Grade 1 at HQ Tamil Nadu,Mysore and Kerala area in Madras. Col Menon had an extremely interesting and varied career and looks back at it with nostalgia,great delight and good humour. This is among the few books available pertaining to the career in armed forces.

Reviewed by Guru Vijay Shanker

Guru Vijay Shankar is a professional Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Bharata Natyam exponent, dance teacher, choreographer, actor and eminent arts critic for over four decades based in Mumbai.

Recently he was invited as guest speaker to participate in the Art Criticism workshop organised by Sangeet Natak Akademi (New Delhi), UP Sangeet Natak Akademi and Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth held in Lucknow on 14^th and 15^th January 2023. He was also invited as judge for the dance competition organised by Rotary Club of Mumbai Parleshwar held at Savarkar auditorium, Shivaji Park on 29th January 2023.

He can be contacted on email: vijaydance@gmail.com