Colonel Ajay K Raina, SM (Retd), born on 23 March
1969 in Jammu is a Poonchi Dogra whose parents had
migrated from Bagh and Pallandri (now in PoJK) during
the 1947 crisis. Growing up listening to the stories of
those days from his parents and grandparents, he
developed a passion for the history of those times leading
him to author five books solely on the 1947-48 conflict.
He was pursuing a Master's in Zoology when he joined
the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun from where he
was commissioned into 93 Field Regiment in December
1990. He was awarded Sena Medal (Gallantry) during
his tenure in 6 RR (SIKH). He is a graduate of the
Long Gunnery Staff Course, Technical Staff Course and
is also a PG in Business Administration (2-year regular
course) specialising in Finance. An adventure enthusiast,
he and his family have been mentioned in the Limca Book
of Records 2011. During one such adventure trip, he was
hit by a landslide and severely injured. With his medical
category permanently downgraded, he took premature
retirement in 2017. He is now a successful hospitality
professional and consultant. He has authored 20 books.
