Pune: “Soldiering On” – Book On Remarkable Resilience Of India’s Disabled Soldiers, Dedicated To Patients Of Spinal Cord Injury Centre At Military Hospital Khadki

Range Hills, 2nd November 2023: “Soldiering On”, a special book on disabled soldiers, authored by Ambreen Zaidi, an Army wife and a recipient of ‘Asmita Puraskar’ by the President of India Droupadi Murmu, was dedicated to the patients of Spinal Cord Injury Centre (SCIC), Military Hospital Khadki, Pune on 30 Oct 2023.

The heroic life journey of Lt Col Chinmaya Prakash, a Medical Officer who is undergoing treatment and rehabilitation for an extremely severe form of spinal cord injury has been covered in one of the chapters of this special book that is garnering wide attention and reviews for its extraordinary content.

The Spinal Cord injury centre at Military Hospital Khadki, being the oldest and largest such centre for the soldiers with life changing spinal cord injury, is an epitome of the resilience of the warriors of Indian Armed Forces. The theme of the book “Soldiering On”, is based on the inspirational tales of heroic comeback, even with devastating injuries that leave young Officers and soldiers disabled for life.

Ambreen Zaidi has devoted a chapter to Lt Col Chinmaya Prakash, an alumnus of Armed Forces Medical College who sustained severe spinal cord injury, resulting in tetraplegia, alongwith permanent respiratory paralysis that required a special diaphragmatic pacemaker to maintain his breathing. Lt Col Chinmaya Prakash’s inspirational journey following his catastrophic injury would definitely inspire our nation’s young generation.

Ambreen Zaidi, a noted columnist and author of the famous book, “The Warrior Widows” has travelled extensively to research on the disabled soldiers’ life changing journey. She interacted with the patients of the spinal cord injury centre and candidly reflected upon the incessant revolution that this book might bring about, with regard to creating ana awareness among the general public as well as within the hierarchy of Armed Forces.

Brig Tony Jose, Commandant, Military Hospital Khadki, expressed deep gratitude to the patients of SCIC for contributing towards creation of this book alongwith appreciation for Ambreen Zaidi for choosing such a sensitive subject to highlight the tales of resilience of our disabled soldiers and how well the official system as well as the nation can make a difference to the lives of these soldiers.