Soldier’s memoirs published in centenary year

Activist Gayitri Handanahal calls her late father, Lieutenant Colonel H C Venugopal, “a satyagrahi and an underground activist”. The memoirs of Venugopal, who served for 18 years in the Maratha Light Infantry, were released as a book in Bengaluru on Sunday.

A Soldier Remembers is a compilation of letters Venugopal, who was born in Hassan in 1922, wrote to his two other children, Ravindar and Hema. Gayitri said the memoirs traced his life journey — from a young radical who was part of the Quit India protests to an officer who also led extensive humanitarian efforts.

After his stint with the Maratha regiment, Venugopal was entrusted with the task of rebuilding the BSF’s paramilitary units in Manipur and Nagaland in the force’s fight against insurgency. He was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for his efforts in the North East. He retired as a BSF Commandant in 1981.

“The correspondences were circulated within the family but I felt they should reach a larger audience, especially youngsters. This being his centenary year, we thought it was the right time to publish them,” Gayitri, managing trustee at Waste Impact Trust, told DH. Venugopal died in 2003 in Bengaluru.

Gayitri, the eldest of Venugopal’s three children, remembers him as a man with “fiery idealism”. “In Manipur, he was able to win the trust of the people during a turbulent time. He also led civil work projects in the region, which was in line with his ideals of social responsibility,” Gayitri said.

At the event, Gayitri read excerpts from the book. A Soldier Remembers is priced Rs 400.