Brigadier Ravi Palsokar (Retd.)

Brig. Ravi Palsokar (Retd.) is a prolific author who writes in English and Marathi. He was born in 1943 and had his primary education in Balmohan Vidya Mandir, Shivaji Park, Mumbai. His secondary education was at Sherwood College, Nainital, U.P. He was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1962 after training at the NDA and the IMA, and joined the prestigious 2nd Battalion, Brigade of The Guards (1 Grenadiers). In doing so he was following the footsteps of his distinguished father, Col. R.D. Palsokar, MC, who besides being decorated in the Second World War, had after retirement, authored over thirty books on military and regimental histories. Subsequently, his son Brig. Dhananjai also joined the same battalion and has been decorated with a Sena Medal.

Ravi Palsokar has served on the western, northern and northeastern borders of India on regimental and staff appointments. He was privileged to command 7 Infantry Brigade as part of the IPKF in Sri Lanka from December 1987 to December 1989, and his Brigade saw some of the heaviest fighting in the jungles of northern Sri Lanka in Mullaitivu Dist. He has recorded his experiences of that period in his memoir titled, “Ours Not to Reason Why”, which was first published in 2012 and is now in its third edition (https://amzn.in/d/0165d1y). He has also written the history of 63 Cavalry, which has been published privately for restricted circulation. Additionally, he has written (so far unpublished) histories of 16 (Indep) Armoured Brigade and Bhonsala Military School, Nashik. A compiled selection of his Marathi articles has been published and is titled, “Bharatacha Ashant Shejar”, (भारताचा अशांत शेजार), (Sunidhi Publishers, Pune, tele: (020) 24457118 / +91 94230 91118.)

Ravi Palsokar lives in contented retirement at Pune with Vilol, his wife of 56 Years. They have two children, Brig. Dhananjai, married to Sarita; and Manjiri, married to Amit Javadekar. They have three grandchildren, Jayati, Shravan and Anubha; it is Anubha’s drawing of Lord Ganesh which forms the Icon of this website.