Tigers Don't Blink

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Colonel Ashok Tara is a tiger who doesn't blink in the face of extreme danger. Whether planning and fighting in the Gangasagar battle for which he was awarded Vir Chakra or when as an unarmed young Indian Army Major, he took on the heavily armed, trigger-happy Pakistani soldiers to rescue Sheikh Hasina and her family, he has calmly locked horns with death many a time. In 2012, he was conferred with one of Bangladesh's highest Civilian awards 'Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War Honour.

This book is a gripping true story of action and life lessons packed into a real-life narrative. This book captures lesser-known facts about the 'Bangladesh War of Liberation.

Anshuman Tandon is an Engineer with experience in International Projects and Communications. Corporate He is passionate about theatre. He has acted in plays and serials in English, Hindi and Punjabi. He has a keen sense of history and is a storyteller by heart. His Interests include art, culture, and linguistics. He has authored and directed several short plays, including dramatic adaptations of select 'Munshi Premchand' stories. Currently, he is working on his next book based on stories from the partition of 1947. He is a friendly and helpful person who is always at the forefront of humanitarian and social causes. Anshuman believes that joie de vivre is his raison d'être. He lives in Delhi with his parents, wife and daughter.

It was late evening, winters of 2013, I was at the Press Club of India with friends having a light banter. Saruchi, my wife called to come home immediately to plan next day's visit to my daughter Arushi's school. I excused myself from the iconic bar corner where my friends Vijay Kumar, Ravi Bhardwaj, Jasween Jassi, JS Malhotra, GS Kaura and Yogesh Kumar were engaged in an animated discussion. As I drove past the All India Radio and the Parliament house, I tuned on to radio. RJ was talking about a special guest she had for the evening - A hero of the Bangladesh war who was honoured by Govt. of Bangladesh. I had tuned late and missed the name of the hero. A retired army officer with baritone voice described the famous battle of Gangasagar during the Bangladesh Liberation War in which he had been awarded the Vir Chakra. Driving past the Willingdon hospital, I reached the thick forested ridge where fog thickened and there was condensation on my wind screen. I halted my car next to the forest and decided to listen to the amazing story. He recounted, as to how he alone as a young unarmed Indian army major faced an armed to teeth Pakistani Army unit, to rescue the family of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's family. I had goose bumps listening to his bravery in the face of certain death.