John Dalvi

Brigadier John Parashuram Dalvi (1920-1980) was the commander of the Indian 7th Brigade. The 7th Brigade was destroyed in the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Brigadier Dalvi was captured by the PLA on October 22, 1962.

Background
Dalvi was born on 3 July 1920 in Basra, Iraq where his father was serving with the British administration. He returned to India in 1923 and studied at St. Mary's High School Mumbai. He graduated and joined to study under the Jesuists at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. In 1940 with the outbreak of World War II he joined Indian Army.

Career
Dalvi was commissioned into the Baluch Regiment. Throughout the war he continued to serve with the 5th Battalion. He took part in Field Marshal Sir William Slim's pursuit of Japanese Army. From October 1944 to March 1945 he saw fighting with 19th Indian Division notably at the Crossing of the Irrawaddy. For his services he was mentioned in despatches for gallant and distinguished service.

In 1945 he was selected to join the staff of General Sir Montagu Stopford, GOC XXXIII Corps and later GOC-in-C of 12th Army Burma

In 1947 he was posted as instructor to Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He was then moved to 5 Gorkha Rifles as 2nd in command. In 1949 Dalvi was attached with Brigade of the Guards. In 1950, he was selected for Staff College, which he graduated in 1951. He then commanded 4th Guards and later 2nd Guards.

In October 1960 he was given an accelerated promotion to be appointed as Brigadier Administration to XV Corps. In January 1962, he was given the Command on 7th Infantry Brigade in NEFA and fought in the Sino-Indian War

He was taken Prisoner of War on 22 October 1962 and was repatriated in May 1963.

He died of cancer in 1980.

Books authored
On his return to India, he authored a book about the 1962 war, titled The Himalayan Blunder: The curtain raiser to the Sino-Indian War of 1962. The book was banned in Indian almost immediately on its release. But later it was allowed.

His book is in direct contradiction with the book authored by his erstwhile C.O. - General Brij Mohan Kaul In his book Brig. Dalvi bitterly described about his return to India:

"We landed in Dum Dum airport in Calcutta on May 4, 1963. We were received cordially, appropriately. But the silence there was disquieting. I realized later. We had to prove we weren’t brainwashed by Chinese ideology. We had to prove we were still loyal to India. My own army maintained a suspicious distance. The irony cannot be harsher: this treatment from a country, which for more than a decade had brainwashed itself into holding the Chinese baton wherever it went."