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Synopsis A Call to Honour: In Service of Emergent India is an evocative account about a crucial period in India's history. After the passing of the Nehruvian era of conservative socialism and non-alignment in international relations, India went on to redefine its character and goals in accordance with the demands of a post Cold War world. The BJP-led NDA Government responded to all these issues with a dream for India and a clear vision. As Union Minister of Defence, External Affairs and Finance in the BJP-led NDA Government in India, Jaswant Singh held many keys to this radical transformation in India's foreign policy, defence policies and economic planning. He handled several critical issues that confronted the country. India's legitimate security needs found international recognition, post-1998. The consequent challenges to Indian statecraft are analysed in great detail in chapters on USA, China, and Pakistan. He reconstructs the excitement around Pokhran II in May 1998, which provoked strong international reactions. He was a major player in the release of 166 passengers aboard IC814 hijacked to Kandahar and provides a first-hand account of that testing episode. The author has covered in detail other equally important events like the Indo-Pak Summit in Agra, the Lahore bus journey, and the Kargil conflict. The desert of Rajasthan, where Jaswant Singh's home is and where he spent his early years, outside of what was British India, is a kind of a fulcrum of the book. The trauma of Independence continues to haunt many even today. The author visits that period, examines the birth of Pakistan, and the many changes that came about in its wake. The book strikes a sombre note as the author takes the reader through the 1999 Kargil conflict and examines the critical environment before and after the war. A Call to Honour: In Service of Emergent India is a fluent narrative and provides an in-depth look at several vital events that changed the way the world perceived India. As the millennia changed, so did India. This is an account of a part of that transforming journey.