New Delhi, Jun 17 (IANS): "Proxy War" sets out to seemingly uncover what follows when ill-intentioned forces launch a diabolical plan to turn the men in uniform into drug addicts and how the Indian Army gives such forces a befitting reply.

In doing so, the story revolves around a sinister drug cartel that ventures into a forbidden zone and challenges India's defence frontline in its own backyard, leading to a scenario hitherto not thought of.

Apparently taking inspiration from the people in his own life, author Sudip Talukdar describes the efforts undertaken by each member of the unit to make it function smoothly while being unquestionably devoted to their service -- supposedly answering how the Army goes about keeping its pride and honour intact, without firing a single round or getting its hands soiled in the ensuing mess.

All this is done while narrating the tale of two 15-year-olds, Avi and Karan, who accidentally witness a cold-blooded murder by an underworld drug mafia in an abandoned mill. The entailing events then challenge the Indian Army in its own land, while trapping the servicemen into drug addiction.

The "military commander" then vows to take on the enemy and burst their bubble. In a series of well-planned moves, the commander is able to trace the ultra-secret site of the gang, while crushing their motives of the terror unit in a befitting reply, or so the book will have you believe.

What is even more galling is that the book is positioned as "A tribute to the men of the Indian Army".

It is said that war is too serious matter to be left in the hands of Generals. Similarly, writing on military matters -- fictional or non-fictional -- should be left to the knowledgeable who truly understand the mechanics of a "proxy war" that the book sets out to "win".