New Delhi

Former General Manoj Naravane has said it was unnecessary to repeatedly cite and draw attention to him over his unpublished memoir Four Stars of Destiny, which sparked controversy earlier this year.

Naravane, who has since authored two other books and has a third in the pipeline, said he had moved on from the issue. He noted that the Ministry of Defence had asked the publisher to keep the memoir on hold until it was vetted, and for him the matter ended there.

He said dragging the unpublished book into public debate and indirectly bringing him into the spotlight again was “not warranted.”

The controversy had surfaced in February when Rahul Gandhi was stopped in the Lok Sabha from citing excerpts from the memoir because it had not yet been published.

Naravane recently released The Curious and the Classified: Unearthing Military Myths and Mysteries, published by Rupa Publications. He described the new book as an entertaining work rather than a serious academic study.

The book explores little-known stories, legends and traditions connected to the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.

Among its themes is the history of the greeting “Jai Hind.” Naravane said the phrase was first adopted in military use by the Air Force before later being embraced across all three services. Earlier, salutes were often silent, with regiments using their own greetings such as “Sat Sri Akal” or “Ram Ram.” He said discovering the deeper roots of “Jai Hind” was a revelation even to him despite having used it countless times.

The former Army chief also recounts the legend of Badluram, a soldier of the Assam Regiment who died during the Battle of Kohima. According to the story, rations allocated to him continued to arrive after his death, helping a besieged unit survive. The tale inspired the regimental song “Badluram ka Badan,” now informally associated with the regiment.

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Another chapter features Pedongi, a military mule reportedly captured during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Naravane said the animal later escaped, crossed dangerous terrain and minefields, and returned to its unit through instinct. He said Pedongi was honoured afterward, retired from carrying loads, and lived until natural death at Bareilly after 37 years.