Maj Gen Shashikant PitreMaj Gen Shashikant Pitre was commissioned into Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army in 1962. During his service spanning 36 years, he served on the Western, Northern and Eastern borders. He took part in 1965 and 1971 wars and in the IPKF in Sri Lank. He commanded a mountain brigade in Sikkim/ Manipur, an infantry division on the western border and was the Chief of Staff of the ARTRAC. After retirement, he has written widely in Marathi dailies on military matters and has to his credit about 400 articles published in the print media. He is a well known speaker and TV panellist. His daily columns in reputed Marathi Daily Sakal during the Kargil War, in Loksatta during Afghanistan and Iraq Wars were well received.The General has authored books on Kashmir, Sri Lanka and 1962 India- China War; biographies of Admiral Bhaskar Soman and General SPP Thorat and military biographies of Bajirao and Chhatrapati Shivaji in Marathi. His books on the Kashmir Imbroglio, 1962 War and Bajirao Peshwa in Marathi have been awarded by prime literary forums like the Kesari Maratha Trust, Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad and Grantottejak Sabha. He founded the Veterans' Trust 'Horizon' dedicated to humanitarian demining, accredited by the UN. It has detected and destroyed about 1.5 lakh land mines in Srilnka and Jordan. Read More Read Less