Doctor In The FrontSomarajan Padinjarittam (Author)Aravind Sivanandan (Editor)Forty-five years have passed since the last major war with Pakistan, which resulted in the birth of a new nation, Bangladesh.However, for me who took an active part in it as medical officer to an infantry battalion, its memories are still fresh. This must be because the intensity of those experiences must have left deep impressions on my mind, which wouldn’t fade with time.This is an account of my experiences of the few months preceding the war and of the sixteen-day war itself in December 1971, ending with our victory, the surrender of the PAK army and the birth of Bangladesh.This account is very much personal and subjective (it is based on my diary notes of those days), but still I feel that it could be considered as a humble contribution to the history of recent events of national importance in our country.