My Malice and Bias

History of Cannons Cannons were first developed and used in China sometime between the 12th and 13th centuries, evolving from earlier gunpowder weapons like the fire lance.  Earlier Chinese Cannon - 12th Century During the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, the Mamluk Turks used a cannon to defeat the Mongols. This was the first use of a cannon in Islamic history that used a gunpowder formula. Super-sized cannons were used by the troops of Mehmet II to capture Constantinople, in 1453. Mughal Cannons Conquers India Impact of Cannons in Battle of Panipat Cannons were the game-changing advantage that allowed Babur ’s small army to defeat the massive, traditional forces of the Delhi Sultanate led by Ibrahim Lodhi . They fundamentally altered the battlefield through superior firepower, psychological warfare, and defensive fortification. At the First Battle of Panipat (1526), Babur understood this advantage and his cannons artillery by tying together hundreds of wooden carts ( Arab...

I would like to share a speculative tale that had been in circulation in the Indian Army for some time and makes an interesting read as a fictional work on the character of Indira Gandhi , the assassinated Prime Minister of India. Four Generals and a Babe The 1971 Indo-Pak War saw the humiliating defeat and surrender of Pakistani Army at the hands of Indian Army. There was a lot of celebration and claims for credit for this historic victory. Let's now look at some of the key characters of this period with a little humor and malice. The Babe: Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi Indira Gandhi , the Indian Prime Minister was idolized as "The Iron Lady" by her sycophants and took full credit for the military victory in the international media. An impatient Indira Gandhi, backed by her eager-to-please Cabinet, wanted Sam Manekshaw to conduct a swift, surgical strike on East Pakistan and install a government led by Mujibur Rehman , the popular Bengali leader. In fact, she wanted th...

The Kargil War was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir along the Line of Control (LOC). In India, the conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay, the name of the Indian operation to clear the Kargil sector of the Pakistani infiltrators. Indian Sikh soldier guarding the Kargil victory memorial  The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the LOC. The town of Kargil is located 205 km (127 miles) from Srinagar, facing the Northern Areas across the LOC. Like other areas in the Himalayas, Kargil has a temperate climate. Summers are cool with frigid nights, while winters are long and chilly with temperatures often dropping to −48 °C (−54 °F). An Indian national highway (NH 1D) connecting Srinagar to Leh cuts through Kargil. During the winter season, due to extreme cold in the snow-capped mountainous areas...