Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane

Oh! What a beautiful collection of memoirs bt the super sleuths of India . The covert operators who have braved their lives , without expecting any overt recognition or accolades , simply for the protection of motherland. A must read to honour the bravehearts , written by one of them. Language is lucid, and the progression of the book is unputdownable . Thanks to Amazon, I knew something like this exists .

There are memoirs of retd government employees and civil servants and then there is this book. Deeply insightful, it gives one a detailed of RnAW - one of the most important external intel agencies of India - right from its birth through its epochs. Whereas the general perception is that intel business is serious and high octane, the late author (a spy himself) shows the human side of the work, which includes some very humorous anecdotes arising out of tense situations.

This book deals with RAWs formation, Political Conditions, it's spells of glory and spells of utter failures, relations with other Secret agencies, why not to trust US also Pak and mainly how a strong political leadership helps a country and its Institution to work effectively.

A nice read, easy to follow, with good continuity. The author does provide a rare but much needed glimpse into the world of Indian intelligence and its indeed a good lesson in history. What I really liked were in spite of glaring irregularities by many, he has not directly said things against the agency or those who have erred. Truly a gentlemanly manner of providing constructive feedback. Understandably, there are no details about operations as those would have been illegal. Lastly, in spite of some valuable suggestions, I'm certain none will be acted upon. May his soul rest in peace.

No doubt it has done exceptional service till date. But narrative is very biased to a particular leader/ group. Does that mean the organization was non operative in all remaining years?

This book shines a light on the birth, evolution and state of India's external intelligence agency with anecdotes, stories & instances of some of its great successes and utter failures. In the process, it introduces to readers the contribution of founders of the R&AW - RN Kao, S. Nair & others. It also takes note of dramatis personae in all the important episodes of independent India's history coinciding with the author's stint at the organization in 1970s, 1980s & 1990s. Recommended reading for anyone interested in the intelligence setup of India.

A book which gives insight of functioning and difficulty faced by intelligence agency and how important they are in making any nation prosperous and peaceful and secure for the citizens.

Interesting book covered with full of facts and technicalities but a bit boring half way through. This is unavoidable keeping in mind the Official Secrets Act. Otherwise the book is fine

love reading it!

I buy allot of books and I must say this is the worst book purchase thus far. The author makes no effort to back up his baseless theories. It seems to be a hob scotch of newspaper articles reviewed by the author. Seriously readers, don't waste your money on this garbage, sorry, thumbs down from me.

Ramanji does a good job of making an honest assesment of the various phases that RAW has undergone through its life. The language is fast paced and holds the reader with curiosity. Many people will find this a welcome insight into the world of intelligence, foreign affairs and the ever present politics. Many budding 16-17 year olds might even make a career choice after reading this book. Ramanji makes no bones of his admiration for the policies and statesmanship shown by the late Indira Gandhi. Surprising is his antipathy towards what is considered a right wing war mongering BJP that increased defence spending, wanted tighter borders and gave more powers to police and defence forces for detaining, questioning suspects. Ramanji and many of his like are the unknown warriors who defend the security and integrity of our country. He signs off in a self effacing fashion claiming no credit and asking for none. For readers who are themselves in govt service or whose parents are/were in government service one will recognise the staid language and the group dynamics that typifies indian government service. Definitely worth buying.

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One of the very few books that give a detailed picture of how India's external inteligence works. It does have some amount of redundancy. Some topics are talked repeatedly. The book does not have a timeline from one chapter to another which sometimes makes it hard to follow if you don't keep track. But still is a good and a worthwhile read.