The roads less travelled

“Have you ever held the moments, and given them a pause,
To think of the soldiers, and the one who was.
Come with us on a journey, of agony and ecstasy,
Come see our harsh reality, and our dreams of fantasy

Visit the history of soldiering, past the endless past,
As we endeavor to reach, the very last.
Digging through the godforsaken terrain and dusty pages
And going through its roller coaster stages”

The book “Road less Traveled” Is the out come of an emotional sojourn along the annals of time. The above mentioned lines are a small description in a poetic form. We intend to bring to fore spirit of soldering and the unnerving spirit that comes along with it. The book is inspired by the satiety cradled pain, separation, physical and mental challenges, lots of emotions and various melancholic moods that a soldier faces while guarding us. It’s also a tribute to thousands of the unknown, unsung hero’s who have made the supreme sacrifice on the call of duty.

“The Roads less Travelled” is the first and one of its kind attempts to bring to light, the thrill of a glorious and tough Military life. The book aims to put across the tough life of a soldier and the rigors of life that he undergoes, without compromising the security aspect. The endeavor is to showcase in simplicity the achievements and the efforts that the men in uniform put towards the Nation's Security and Sovereignty and also the achievement that cannot be converted into bonds and stocks and of love that calls for sacrifice.


The Objective:

The project is the creation of a coffee table book, with emphasis as much on the content as to the visual appeal. The objective is that the book shall be the first hand account of difficult terrains of the Indian armed forces. In a first of its kind effort it shall try to feature, through the length and breadth of the country, the real faces of the armed forces, cheerful in extremely difficult situations. It is not a project based on operations, nor only to glorification. It is an attempt to bridge the gap between the armed forces and the rest of the country. It objects to present the more ‘Humane’ face of the former. However, the intent is to present the possibility of such a life to the youth as not impossible but something they can probably relate with.
This is also an attempt, to reach out to the brave braving such places, and say ‘WE CARE'.


The Project guidelines

The book shall be divided into sections and will have visuals, text, interviews, and write ups from the defense personnel. The following shall be the sections:

1. The early days (an account of the different academies)
The section shall be created with live interviews and shoot in NDA, IMA, the naval academy Ezhimala and the Air force Academy Hyderabad.

2. The Army as it is. (the difficult terrains of the Army)

3. The Air Force as it is (the difficult terrains of the Air force)

4. The Navy as it is (the difficult terrains of the navy)

5. The process intact (the trainings, acclimatization etc.)
Trainings are an integral part of the armed forces. To survive difficult altitudes, acclimatization is crucial. In this section we shall throw light on these through pictures and write-ups.

6. All in a day’s work (the lighter moments and celebrations)
The heart of the Armed forces. The section shall present different ceremonies and celebrations.

7. An ounce of nostalgia.
In this section we remember the heroes. We cover a bit of history and profile the brave. It shall also include interviews of veterans of armed forces still with us. The United service institution of India has agreed to partner with us for the creation of this section.

8. A million voices
This section shall have contributions from the defense personnel. They can share personal picture collections, memoirs, write-ups, poems etc.


Please feel free to ask us more. Please write to us at

shormishtha@theroadslesstraveled.co.in

varun@theroadslesstraveled.co.in

also visit us at:
www.theroadslesstraveled.co.in