Win All Your Battles Book Review: A story with thrilling chapters and unexpected turns

Exercise, nutritious food and a good night’s sleep are the three pillars of health. You would think these must be words from a fitness or diet expert’s book; instead, it’s a policeman giving us this advice. And not just any policeman, but IPS officer, youth icon and exemplary trailblazer Vishwas Nangre Patil.

In his second book, Win All Your Battles, translated from Kar Har Maidan Fateh, Nangre Patil talks about “the transformation of a simple village boy into a high-flying bureaucrat” and when you start reading you realise what a vast span of thought has gone into it.

Description of his experiences during training, his thoughts and resolutions, and the changes that the challenges of learning to be a police officer brought about form a sizeable portion of the book. But it’s not boringly put down in chunks — rather the opposite; it’s like reading a script of a life story, filled with thrilling chapters and unexpected turns.

Nangre Patil explains, “The main objective of writing this second book is to explain in simple terms the mental, physical and spiritual aspects learnt during training, to all those people who are not fortunate enough to get into the academy.” Not just that; he elucidates: “I believe that the knocks I faced and the solutions and cures I found for them will aid the new generation in the development of their personality.”

There’s no rocket science involved; reading what Nangre Patil has to say is like listening to your neighbourhood mentor figure. He talks about simple but crucial things, the most important of which is good health. “A healthy mind resides in a healthy body,” he quotes, and adds, “The inputs I received at the academy for developing a strong body and sound mind transformed into habits, and they have played an important role in my life.”

One of these habits is exercise, which is much needed to develop all-round health. Nangre Patil goes into some detail about this, and anyone who cares about being fit will definitely benefit from his insights.

When it comes to talking about being a police officer, Nangre Patil demystifies it, but without divesting it of its stature. “The police uniform is not just a garment; it becomes part of us like a second skin.” These words reminded us of the character of Inspector Velankar in the iconic film Ardh Satya. Nangre Patil talks about films too; about watching Sarfarosh and not imagining that one day he would spend his life in the same profession shown in the film.

Thus, the book is both profound and immensely accessible. Nangre Patil talks with equal empathy about the havildar who describes how he barely has a life, and is looking forward to going back to his village after retirement and learning “how to live”, and about what led to the formation of the Nirbhaya Squad under his direction.

If you’re into self-help books, or even if you’re not — this is a book you should pick up, for inspiration and encouragement no matter what you do in life.

Title: Win All Your Battles

Author: Vishwas Nangre Patil

Publisher: Harper Collins India House

Trans. By: Subha Pande

Pages: 296

Price: `299

Published on: Sunday, April 02, 2023, 07:00 AM IST