Anupma Mehta is senior consulting editor at National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi, and a publishing and communications professional with over thirty years of experience across research institutions, UN bodies, publishing houses and the social sector. She has written widely on gender and economics for leading national dailies and has worked with a range of organizations, including UN Women, Oxford University Press, Penguin Books, McGraw-Hill India and Ahmedabad University. She holds master s and bachelor s degrees in English literature from Delhi University and a postgraduate diploma from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.

Vishal Batra is the identical younger twin brother of Captain Vikram Batra, Param Vir Chakra awardee and one of India s most celebrated heroes of the Kargil War. Born just fourteen minutes apart and raised together in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, the brothers shared an extraordinary bond built on friendship, love and shared dreams. Both aspired to join the armed forces together, but while Vikram went on to wear the uniform and became immortalized in India s military history, Vishal was not recommended-twice-by the Services Selection Board. In many ways, he continues to live that dream by carrying forward Vikram s legacy and sharing the deeply human story behind the hero. To Vishal, Vikram was never just a national icon but his closest companion and other half. Through his memories and reflections, he keeps alive not only Vikram s courage and patriotism but also the warmth, humour and humanity of the man behind the uniform.