Soon to be released, ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ tells the story of Lt General Shakti Gurung, the first ethnic Gorkha officer to rise to the highest command in the Indian Army. Commissioned into the Grenadiers, where Gorkhas usually do not serve, he became a Lieutenant General to command a frontline corps along the Line of Actual Control and finally retired as the Military Secretary (MS).

This book is full of anecdotes and vignettes, telling the story of his lived life and worldview. It discusses who the Gorkhas are, their customs and traditions, and how they came to the land to become a part of India. It delves into the Indian Gorkha community’s identity crisis, numerous sacrifices, and quest for a homeland. It also takes an unbiased look at India–Nepal issues.

Having served in counterterrorism and counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and India’s North-east, as well as in Myanmar as the defence attaché, Gurung covers in this book a wide landscape of issues of these regions that have not been covered earlier by anyone.

From a community known more for its valour than its cerebral acumen, this book follows the path of a man who served thrice in the MS Branch, the challenges he faced, and how he overcame them.

Gurung, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, was commissioned into the Grenadiers in June 1975.