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The Sinking of INS Khukri: Survivor's Stories: Survivors Stories
9 December 1971. 8.45 p.m. Torpedoed by a Pakistani submarine, the INS Khukri sank within minutes. Along with the ship, 178 sailors and 18 officers made the supreme sacrifice. Last seen calmly puffing on his cigarette, Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, captain of the Khukri, chose to go down with his ship. This defining moment of the 1971 war between India and Pakistan is the basis of Major General Ian Cardozo's attempt to understand what happened that day and why. Major General Cardozo brings fresh insight into the hellish ordeal by including the heartfelt accounts of the survivors and of the members of their families. These accounts transform the stereotypical understanding of the incident; they also supplement it. We glimpse fear, trauma and death at first hand. In the annals of war writing, General Cardozo humanizes this cataclysmic event as never before.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryIndia
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 29, 2019
A brilliant and intense book written on one of the least discussed subjects of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Expect a short brief regarding the beginning of the 1971 Indo-Pak war in the beginning which is slightly out of context given the title of the book. Other than that, simply brilliant and intense and due respect to the Captain Mullah of the INS Khukri.
June 16, 2020
1. Introduction to the Book
a. Title : The Sinking of INS Khukri: Survivors’ Stories
b. Author : Maj Gen Ian Cardozo (Retd), AVSM, SM
c. Publisher : Roli Books Pvt. Ltd.
d. Edition : First Edition
e. Pages : 224
f. Price : ₹ 350
g. ISBN : 81-7436-499-4
h. Special Features : Pictures of INS Khukri and its crew, Maps detailing the various operations carried out by the Indian Navy at the Karachi Port
2. Introduction to the Author
Maj Gen Ian Cardozo (Retd), AVSM, SM was born in Bombay and studied at St. Xavier’s School and College. In July 1954, he joined the Joint Services Wing, now National Defence Academy, where he was the first cadet to win the gold medal for being the best all-round cadet, and the silver medal for being the first in order of merit. He was commissioned to the 1st Battalion of the Fifth Gorkha Rifles (FF) in 1958 and was one of the first officers to be awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on a patrol in NEFA in 1960. Wounded in the battle at Sylhet in Bangladesh in 1971, he overcame the handicap of losing a leg and became the first officer to be approved of command of an Infantry battalion. He retired in 1993 from his appointment as Chief of Staff of a Corps in the East.
He has worked with the Spastic Society of Northern India. At present, he is working for persons with disability as Chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India and is the Vice President of the War Wounded Foundation.
3. About the Book
One of the biggest differences between the Indo-Pak Wars of 1965 and 1971 was the involvement of the Indian Navy. In the 1965 War, the Indian Navy was straitjacketed by the Government of India who feared that involvement of the Navy would escalate the war. This compounded by the lack of response of the Indian Navy to the bombing of Dwarka by the Pakistan Navy raised a lot of questions about the Indian Navy’s worthiness and ability to sustain a military campaign.
Admiral S. M. Nanda (Retd), PVSM, AVSM, the Chief of Naval Staff during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, was adamant that if India were to go to war again the Navy would respond with its full might, erasing any doubts anybody might have about the Navy’s worthiness.
In the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the Navy was instrumental in India’s overwhelming victory. The Indian Navy executed a naval blockade successfully blocking off any support erstwhile East Pakistan might have gotten from West Pakistan. The day the Indian Navy attacked the Karachi port is till date celebrated as Navy Day as the day the Indian Navy made its mark on the World.
4. Review
This book does an amazing job of highlighting the Naval conflicts that occurred during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. One reason this book accomplished this feat so well was that the book focuses exclusively on the Indian Navy and how it evolved over the two Indo-Pak Wars. While the Army and Air Force had launched their own campaigns during this war, this book focuses on the Navy and doesn’t stray from the topic at hand that is the Naval Battle in the Arabian Sea in the 1971 Indo-Pak War and the circumstances that led to the eventual sinking of the Khukri.
This book delves deep and goes into the nitty-gritties of the machinations of War, to how the moving of every piece on the political chessboard of that time influenced and affected this War. This book managed to use its platform to really showcase how the Government and Military work and how these roles play out as in times of War. I really appreciated being made aware of the thought processes and decisions that made this war what it is.
The INS Khukri and INS Kripan were grossly outmatched by the PNS Hangor, a Daphne-class submarine far superior to the squadron detailed with destroying it. We get a factual description of the events that caused the sinking of the Khukri as well an analysis of how things could have been handled. It always gives voice to the very crew of Khukri and learning about their stories really impresses the fact that every number in the theatre of War is a human being.
The book is written in a very concise manner that cuts through the excess revealing the bare-naked truth. I really loved the way the author chose to tell this story from the point of view of the down-on morale Indian Navy which persevered to achieve the ultimate – Victory on the Battlefield.
5. Recommendation
Despite the book’s subject matter, this book can be read by anybody, since it is written in such an engaging manner.
This book is the perfect place to start if you want to explore more about India’s military Campaigns because while it satisfies your curiosity it also opens more avenues for you to further discover.
A hard-core enthusiast of India’s Military History might not find anything new in this book but can definitely appreciate the perspective the author offers.
6. Conclusion
The Indian Navy has celebrated December 4th as Navy Day for as long as I have been alive and while I have always known that there was a story behind the day, I have never known what the story was. This book has quenched my thirst by answering this very question and simultaneously, has renewed my interest in India’s military campaigns.
a. Title : The Sinking of INS Khukri: Survivors’ Stories
b. Author : Maj Gen Ian Cardozo (Retd), AVSM, SM
c. Publisher : Roli Books Pvt. Ltd.
d. Edition : First Edition
e. Pages : 224
f. Price : ₹ 350
g. ISBN : 81-7436-499-4
h. Special Features : Pictures of INS Khukri and its crew, Maps detailing the various operations carried out by the Indian Navy at the Karachi Port
2. Introduction to the Author
Maj Gen Ian Cardozo (Retd), AVSM, SM was born in Bombay and studied at St. Xavier’s School and College. In July 1954, he joined the Joint Services Wing, now National Defence Academy, where he was the first cadet to win the gold medal for being the best all-round cadet, and the silver medal for being the first in order of merit. He was commissioned to the 1st Battalion of the Fifth Gorkha Rifles (FF) in 1958 and was one of the first officers to be awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on a patrol in NEFA in 1960. Wounded in the battle at Sylhet in Bangladesh in 1971, he overcame the handicap of losing a leg and became the first officer to be approved of command of an Infantry battalion. He retired in 1993 from his appointment as Chief of Staff of a Corps in the East.
He has worked with the Spastic Society of Northern India. At present, he is working for persons with disability as Chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India and is the Vice President of the War Wounded Foundation.
3. About the Book
One of the biggest differences between the Indo-Pak Wars of 1965 and 1971 was the involvement of the Indian Navy. In the 1965 War, the Indian Navy was straitjacketed by the Government of India who feared that involvement of the Navy would escalate the war. This compounded by the lack of response of the Indian Navy to the bombing of Dwarka by the Pakistan Navy raised a lot of questions about the Indian Navy’s worthiness and ability to sustain a military campaign.
Admiral S. M. Nanda (Retd), PVSM, AVSM, the Chief of Naval Staff during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, was adamant that if India were to go to war again the Navy would respond with its full might, erasing any doubts anybody might have about the Navy’s worthiness.
In the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the Navy was instrumental in India’s overwhelming victory. The Indian Navy executed a naval blockade successfully blocking off any support erstwhile East Pakistan might have gotten from West Pakistan. The day the Indian Navy attacked the Karachi port is till date celebrated as Navy Day as the day the Indian Navy made its mark on the World.
4. Review
This book does an amazing job of highlighting the Naval conflicts that occurred during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. One reason this book accomplished this feat so well was that the book focuses exclusively on the Indian Navy and how it evolved over the two Indo-Pak Wars. While the Army and Air Force had launched their own campaigns during this war, this book focuses on the Navy and doesn’t stray from the topic at hand that is the Naval Battle in the Arabian Sea in the 1971 Indo-Pak War and the circumstances that led to the eventual sinking of the Khukri.
This book delves deep and goes into the nitty-gritties of the machinations of War, to how the moving of every piece on the political chessboard of that time influenced and affected this War. This book managed to use its platform to really showcase how the Government and Military work and how these roles play out as in times of War. I really appreciated being made aware of the thought processes and decisions that made this war what it is.
The INS Khukri and INS Kripan were grossly outmatched by the PNS Hangor, a Daphne-class submarine far superior to the squadron detailed with destroying it. We get a factual description of the events that caused the sinking of the Khukri as well an analysis of how things could have been handled. It always gives voice to the very crew of Khukri and learning about their stories really impresses the fact that every number in the theatre of War is a human being.
The book is written in a very concise manner that cuts through the excess revealing the bare-naked truth. I really loved the way the author chose to tell this story from the point of view of the down-on morale Indian Navy which persevered to achieve the ultimate – Victory on the Battlefield.
5. Recommendation
Despite the book’s subject matter, this book can be read by anybody, since it is written in such an engaging manner.
This book is the perfect place to start if you want to explore more about India’s military Campaigns because while it satisfies your curiosity it also opens more avenues for you to further discover.
A hard-core enthusiast of India’s Military History might not find anything new in this book but can definitely appreciate the perspective the author offers.
6. Conclusion
The Indian Navy has celebrated December 4th as Navy Day for as long as I have been alive and while I have always known that there was a story behind the day, I have never known what the story was. This book has quenched my thirst by answering this very question and simultaneously, has renewed my interest in India’s military campaigns.
March 11, 2024
Bharat and Hindus exist, even with this incompetent, corrupt and power hungry leadership running this country for so long and when so much resources are being used against us, is a legit miracle.
Read
December 27, 2017Major Gen Ian Cardozo, AVSM, SM deserves immense credit for painstakingly gathering information from
survivors of INS Khukri, and other Indian as well as Pakistani Naval personnel, to piece together this narrative
about the supreme sacrifice made by Capt Mahendranath Mulla, thereby giving valuable insights to the
reader on the backdrop of the war, the role of the Navy, deployment of forces and the various `versions' of the
events from a purely neutral point of view. A veteran of the 1971 War himself, the General was wounded in
the Battle at Sylhet in Bangladesh and retired in 1993 as COS of a Corps in the East.
The inaction of the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pak War of 1965 was a huge dent on the Navy's
reputation. However, the 1971 War was a `Godsent' opportunity to make amends for the much impaired
image of the Navy. The Naval Chief, Admiral Nanda, made his intentions clear when he told his C-in- Cs, "Seek
and destroy all enemy warships”, and the rest was history. The daring attack on Karachi by the Missile Boats
and the sinking of PNS Ghazi are events which have been immortalised in the annals of Indian Naval history.
At the outset, a Naval Officer might view an Army Officer's interest in relating a pure seafarer's tale with
suspicion, but the slightest hint of scepticism is laid to rest as this book unfolds. The main
highlight of this book is the fact that the author does not boast of the prowess of our mariners, nor does he
recount tales of our exploits. A post mortem of the past events is essential to learn from our, as well as the
adversary's mistakes. Our vintage Blackwood ASW Frigates, Khukri and Kirpan were pitted against a powerful
underwater adversary comprising three Daphne Class submarines, Hangor, Shushuk and Mangro. The
stories by the surviving Officers and Sailors provide startling revelations about the gaping flaws in planning
such a mission. The narratives by Mrs Rekha Sharma, Mrs Sudha Mulla and her daughter, Ms Ameeta Mulla,
stir the emotions of the reader with their honest account of how war reversed the course of their lives and
caused impermeable changes in the character of individuals.
The author explains how the war panned out as per Colonel Fuller's Principles of War and finally debates
the British tradition of yore for the Captain to go down with the ship. This book is recommended reading for
all those who ignorantly ask the question, `What was the Indian Navy doing during the 1971 War' ?
survivors of INS Khukri, and other Indian as well as Pakistani Naval personnel, to piece together this narrative
about the supreme sacrifice made by Capt Mahendranath Mulla, thereby giving valuable insights to the
reader on the backdrop of the war, the role of the Navy, deployment of forces and the various `versions' of the
events from a purely neutral point of view. A veteran of the 1971 War himself, the General was wounded in
the Battle at Sylhet in Bangladesh and retired in 1993 as COS of a Corps in the East.
The inaction of the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pak War of 1965 was a huge dent on the Navy's
reputation. However, the 1971 War was a `Godsent' opportunity to make amends for the much impaired
image of the Navy. The Naval Chief, Admiral Nanda, made his intentions clear when he told his C-in- Cs, "Seek
and destroy all enemy warships”, and the rest was history. The daring attack on Karachi by the Missile Boats
and the sinking of PNS Ghazi are events which have been immortalised in the annals of Indian Naval history.
At the outset, a Naval Officer might view an Army Officer's interest in relating a pure seafarer's tale with
suspicion, but the slightest hint of scepticism is laid to rest as this book unfolds. The main
highlight of this book is the fact that the author does not boast of the prowess of our mariners, nor does he
recount tales of our exploits. A post mortem of the past events is essential to learn from our, as well as the
adversary's mistakes. Our vintage Blackwood ASW Frigates, Khukri and Kirpan were pitted against a powerful
underwater adversary comprising three Daphne Class submarines, Hangor, Shushuk and Mangro. The
stories by the surviving Officers and Sailors provide startling revelations about the gaping flaws in planning
such a mission. The narratives by Mrs Rekha Sharma, Mrs Sudha Mulla and her daughter, Ms Ameeta Mulla,
stir the emotions of the reader with their honest account of how war reversed the course of their lives and
caused impermeable changes in the character of individuals.
The author explains how the war panned out as per Colonel Fuller's Principles of War and finally debates
the British tradition of yore for the Captain to go down with the ship. This book is recommended reading for
all those who ignorantly ask the question, `What was the Indian Navy doing during the 1971 War' ?
September 23, 2022
INS Khukri was hit by a torpedo from the Pakistan Navy submarine Hangor just as the All India Radio news was being piped through the speakers at 8.45PM IST on Dec 9, 1971. With the keel (the bottom of the ship) shattered, she sank in a few minutes with 18 officers and 176 sailors. Captain Mahendra Mulla, MVC went down with his ship. Only 6 officers and 61 sailors survived.
The war hero author General Cardozo (read his book 1971 Stories of Grit & Glory), is a Gorkha & so has emblematic connections to a ship named Khukri. This book recounts in vivid detail from survivors and also “From the Other Side of the Hill”, that is Pakistani sources, what happened. Memories from Captain Mulla’s widow and daughter add a poignant angle to the story. In a rare twin account, we hear from Commander Sharma who survived and his wife, who did not know for many days whether he had.
Besides the story of the Khukri, the book tells us “What Happened in 1971” from the naval viewpoint, as well as great summary of the 1965 war.
Thank you Sir!
The war hero author General Cardozo (read his book 1971 Stories of Grit & Glory), is a Gorkha & so has emblematic connections to a ship named Khukri. This book recounts in vivid detail from survivors and also “From the Other Side of the Hill”, that is Pakistani sources, what happened. Memories from Captain Mulla’s widow and daughter add a poignant angle to the story. In a rare twin account, we hear from Commander Sharma who survived and his wife, who did not know for many days whether he had.
Besides the story of the Khukri, the book tells us “What Happened in 1971” from the naval viewpoint, as well as great summary of the 1965 war.
Thank you Sir!
November 12, 2012
The sinking of INS khukri survivor story by Lt col Ian Cardozo a brave soldier of para regiment and first soldier who continued to be in startegical post in Indian Army even after loosing one of his leg during 1971 war.
October 18, 2020
Before this, I did not know even Indian Navy fought the war in 1971. Its historic masterpiece. Captain Mulla is a legend.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews