BR sponsored Military books

[shiv]

Let me start with two cross posts and I will add my thoughts later

Hmmm some of the pics of the LCA was taken at fantastic angles by the gurus on here. I suggest that a couple of these be printed in either 18 X 24 or 24 X 36 format posters for sale to collectors at brobably ten to fifteen dollars. Or calendars. Some ways to raise money for BRF. I wonder how come DRDO didnt do anything of the sort especially with a test pilot handy to have such posters autographed. For entities like DRDO not so much as money making effort but an effort in creating awareness especially among kids.
Avram

It is a very good idea. I also would like to suggest small books on topics like rockets, navy, army, air force (pretty much all things covered by BRF) for young readers. My five year old is already taken into US propaganda. Almost all books we get in Singapore and Australia have pictures of objects/events of US origin. For him a rocket is space shuttle, fighter plan is F-16 or such. These books give an impression that pretty much anything important happens/comes/invented/discovered in US. We need books with Indian names that stress Indian contribution to the world with good dose of linking them to Indian history/culture.
(off soap box)

On my part i'll volunteer to design books meant for young children or for that matter any kind PR publication. All i need are collaborators for the visual content and subject authors for the stories.

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There have been some great pics and analysis by members of Aero-India,the best so far of all the shows.Great work by those involved.Apart from the website,BR can do a signal service by bringing out concise guides on defence matters which can be sent to schools.These could cover the three services and be of general interest to school children and the college crowd.These could be of considerable value in asisting education in the classsroom (History,GK and Science classes) and instilling a sense of pride and direction to those who want to join the armed forces for a career.In almost every major school,there exists an NCC unit and BR booklets can be of great informative help to those schools and their units.These booklets could be simple but effective.Those of us who enjoyed as children the legendary "Biggles" books,now could have an oportunity to thrill another generation with such booklets.I don't know if any members posses any of the "Ladybird" books at all whcih could serve as a model.I have an old one on warships,a wonderful little guide.A series on the IAF,IN and IA could be brought out with pics of eqpt. used apart from other general information.Shiv,your thoughts?

I am a really a big fan of books from dk publishing (i think even ladybug is from the same publishers). They are simple, very clean and get into great details without overwhelming the young readers. I really wish to see books of this nature on true Indian history, science and culture.
In late 80's there was a TV series titled "Bharath ek Chaap". Only attempt, in popular media, i know of which looked at ancient Indian science and culture. At that time i really liked it (I don't know how i would feel if i see it now). However, what i remember of it... it was well researched. I remember one of my friends was working on books based on that series; don't quite know what happened to that project though. Sorry for the OT.

[Jagan]

One of the best small books I wish to see in print is Colonel Gill's atlas of the 1971 War. (might be heavy for children - but just right and small for most BRFites).

A more detailed effort like that for the 65 war has been done by Major Amin.. But there is potential for a 'lite' version that may be in demand.

Series similar to Observer's Aircraft - but related only to IAF, IN, CG, BSF aircraft would be welcome i suppose. ?

[shiv]

By sheer coincidence, Kapil and I were also speaking of publication of informative books - for a young/uninformed audience.

My personal education about Aircraft came from the "Observer's Book" series. While these were very good, they were really for a somewhat knowledgeable/sophisticated readership. But the way the information was presented and the silhouettes were matchless and were guaranteed to make an expert out of any young and interested person.

However - I think Philip's Ladybird example is good, and I believe a book of this type should be priced within Rs 250 in India if possible and should be available in at least 3 Indian languages.

The next problem is good pictures. I and many others have non copyrighted photos available in plenty but photographs can be expensive to publish and sometimes cannot be usefully labelled to explain things to the uninitiated.

Artwork requires an artist.

One alternative is to convert available images into line drawings and use them - as I have done below with 60 seconds of work using GIMP (or Photoshop in Windows)

Any thoughts anyone:
Click on image to enlarge

[Rahul M]

I can help with creating material.
just tell me what to do.

[Reddy]

I am no great illustrator but i can do basic schematic /explanatory images (a bitty rusty though). I have a pretty decent photography and digital imaging setup (I"ll be in Hubli in July, if anyone has access, we can do a book on commandos, kids will love it).

As a pilot project, one can start with couple of books in PDF format. If anyone is interested in a hard copy, these can be sent to local/online digital print shop for printing and binding (If i remember correctly, full colour 24 pages A4 booklet will cost around 800 Rs).

Few years back i worked on a 150 pages book (text book on web usability) it took us 9 man-months to produce it - Idea to print (all visual and textual content was produced afresh). In our case i am guessing it'll take around 6 man-months for the first few books. Things will speed up a lot once design document/template is generated and finalised; which will allow multiple projects can run concurrently.

[RayC]

If one could get hold of the Brassey Publications, one could glean those and bring some of the basics to the comprehension of children, it would be a good idea to make young people understand the military equipment.

[Sanjay]

Count me in - I spent several months teaching kids from pre-school to upper elementary.

May I suggest defining subject matter ?

Ladybird way back in the early 1970s did books on soldiers, castles, arms and armour, the RAF and the British Army. They were very good. I still have one on soldiers (first time I ever heard of the Bengal Lancers).

[shiv]

May I suggest defining subject matter ?

My idea is to try and get cooperation to work on an aircraft and weapons of the current Air Force only first.

Aircraft can be classified according to role with a brief mention of number of pilots, engines, size, weights, range and armament and equipment carried.

Color pictures with labels.

A brief section on weapons and munitions

This would hardly be a description of the "Air Force" but it is just that sort of stuff that gets a little boy's heart racing IMO.

[KiranM]

May I suggest comics on the lines of Commando series? Can be few pages, but depicting Indian units. The storyline can be both fiction/ non-fiction. Will generate interest in the young ones to know more about the units, equipment, etc.

[Sanjay]

Shiv,
What age group are you targetting ? Different groups will be attracted to different levels of detail.

[shiv]

Shiv,
What age group are you targetting ? Different groups will be attracted to different levels of detail.

Sanjay - I think the detail should be good for the 12-15 year age group, but the picture should be attractive for the 5 to 10 year group.

Either way costs have to be kept down.

[krishna_j]

Wonder if anyone has seen the more recent Jane's Collins Pocket books on Combat Aircraft pub by Harper Collins - 250pp around 12 X 10 cm.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Janes-C ... 996&sr=1-1


Will scan a couple of pages once I get my scanner working again - a bit smaller than Observer's - pocket size book (actually fits inside) - an all colour format to make it attractive and show the camos and a brief history write-up and specs .


Was talking to Kapil - I think content , layout and production are do-able - the bigger challenge is the distribution channel in India and ability to market them - tying up with Scholastic India for instance which feeds into many schools in India is an option or a chain like Crossword or Landmark with associated - else on-line purchase is not really a viable option.[url][img][img][img][img][/img][/img][/img][/img][/url]

[shiv]

Krishan - did you buy it in Bengaluru - if so where?

[krishna_j]

From Premier book shop - which is closing shutters this week

i can lend u my copy next time we meet

[Raja Bose]

May I suggest defining subject matter ?

My idea is to try and get cooperation to work on an aircraft and weapons of the current Air Force only first.

Aircraft can be classified according to role with a brief mention of number of pilots, engines, size, weights, range and armament and equipment carried.

Color pictures with labels.

A brief section on weapons and munitions

This would hardly be a description of the "Air Force" but it is just that sort of stuff that gets a little boy's heart racing IMO.

Shiv,

Are you looking for detail on the lines of Jane's aircraft recognition guide? Jane's is pocket book sized but thicker. There each entry is limited 1 page with 1 colour pic and 1 schematic pic of top-down and sides...small intro to aircraft...followed by some tech specs (engine, range, munitions). Finally can end with some trivia about the aircraft. I have the edition previous to the current one in case a scan is required of some pages where HAL aircraft are covered.

[maz]

I will do the Navy Book. I have one book that was released when I was a kid. What we need to do has to be along those lines. I am working on material for a more comprehensive book, published every two years or so, that would be for the informed audience.

Ideally, along with books for kids/ young adults, BR should publish an annual issue for the informed audience. IMO, this is easier to manage than doing a quarterly or monthly. Estimated circulation - maybe 500-1000 copies.

[shiv]

Are you looking for detail on the lines of Jane's aircraft recognition guide? Jane's is pocket book sized but thicker. There each entry is limited 1 page with 1 colour pic and 1 schematic pic of top-down and sides...small intro to aircraft...followed by some tech specs (engine, range, munitions). Finally can end with some trivia about the aircraft. I have the edition previous to the current one in case a scan is required of some pages where HAL aircraft are covered.

I have one of these - but yes the idea is to do something similar - but with color pictures in a thinner book with more basic information (What is an AAM? What are avionics? What is ECM? - in a glossary)

[Raja Bose]

shiv,

The only differences might be we will have to put in more trivia (to generate interest and as it is being targeted towards a novice audience) and if we have really great pics, possibly two page entry per aircraft with one page having a full colour pic. Since we are not cramming 100 aircraft into one book, it should still work out to be a thin volume.

I can definitely help with the writeup portions - collecting info, write up and proof reading.

[shiv]

I can definitely help with the writeup portions - collecting info, write up and proof reading.

I still need to talk to Kapil, but I was wondering about the pictures. I really am in favor of having at least one labelled line diagram - and like I said - if the diagram is generated from a photo using photoshop - it can be labelled to explain what is seen in the photograph.

Or do you (or others) feel just one or two pictures is fine?

[krishna_j]

shiv


I think its a brilliant idea - I cant think of any recent guides incl jane's following this

The warplane monthly from the UK in early 90's had this approach - though it was more 3-4 line diagrams - to identify weapons , weapons layout config and the main parts - of course it was a lot bigger and could afford a detailed cross-section also .

Advantages of modern tech and Photo Shop will do wonders

[KrishG]

I can definitely help with the writeup portions - collecting info, write up and proof reading.

I still need to talk to Kapil, but I was wondering about the pictures. I really am in favor of having at least one labelled line diagram - and like I said - if the diagram is generated from a photo using photoshop - it can be labelled to explain what is seen in the photograph.

Or do you (or others) feel just one or two pictures is fine?

Don't worry Doctor Saab! I think the articles have to be more illustrative than 2 pics. Anyway great idea! Let's first figure out what we exactly want.

[KrishG]

One of the best small books I wish to see in print is Colonel Gill's atlas of the 1971 War. (might be heavy for children - but just right and small for most BRFites).

A more detailed effort like that for the 65 war has been done by Major Amin.. But there is potential for a 'lite' version that may be in demand.

Series similar to Observer's Aircraft - but related only to IAF, IN, CG, BSF aircraft would be welcome i suppose. ?

I am a photoshop geek and this takes me only 2 min to do an photoshop. Again, I'm ready to help.

[Raja Bose]

shiv,

I think the aim of the pictures should be both to attract the mind and also satisfy the curiosity as to what is inside the aircraft.
Hence, the idea of a cutaway drawing or wire frame diagram of the aircraft is an excellent one. We can atleast have a wire frame with major components labeled. A cutaway drawing (like what one we used to see in Orbis Military Yearbooks and War Machine mags) is more problematic since I feel it will require fairly good engineering drawing skills. If some jingo here has that skill and can manage that...ofcourse nothing like it but it is a pretty labour-intensive to create them too.
1 High res full page pic (or smaller if we are going for 1 page/aircraft) and 1 wireframe showing 3 quarters frontal view (if possible) will look fine. If possible, additional pics can be provided but that depends on space, layout etc.

[Bala Vignesh]

Umm guys, sorry to bother you , but if you guys could tell me where you bought the Janes Aircraft Recognition Guide, collins pocket book version i would really appreciate the help.. i have been looking for that book since ages but never found it in chennai...

[girish.r]

Umm guys, sorry to bother you , but if you guys could tell me where you bought the Janes Aircraft Recognition Guide, collins pocket book version i would really appreciate the help.. i have been looking for that book since ages but never found it in chennai...

Hi Bala,

Check amazon. They ship books to india.

http://www.amazon.com/Janes-Aircraft-Re ... 004722124#

Back to thread......

[Kapil]

it's here finally:

The BR Aero India 2009 Video tour:

The Aero India 2009 special DVD is made by the Bharat-Rakshak.com team and includes footage of every aircraft display from the show including the contenders for the IAF'S MRCA requirement. There is also a look at the stalls in the exhibition area with a focus on Indian products. The nearly one hour long DVD comes with a commentary. Watch the magnificient Su 30 MKI,the nimble Tejas , the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter,the HAWK AJT along with the latest F-16,Eurofighter and F-18 Super Hornet. Plus a look at the C-130J and the C-17 Globemaster. Duration: 75 minutes. Watch the preview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYjwll36LCg

buy it www.anveshan.com

[shiv]

shiv,

I think the aim of the pictures should be both to attract the mind and also satisfy the curiosity as to what is inside the aircraft.
Hence, the idea of a cutaway drawing or wire frame diagram of the aircraft is an excellent one. We can atleast have a wire frame with major components labeled. A cutaway drawing (like what one we used to see in Orbis Military Yearbooks and War Machine mags) is more problematic since I feel it will require fairly good engineering drawing skills. If some jingo here has that skill and can manage that...ofcourse nothing like it but it is a pretty labour-intensive to create them too.
1 High res full page pic (or smaller if we are going for 1 page/aircraft) and 1 wireframe showing 3 quarters frontal view (if possible) will look fine. If possible, additional pics can be provided but that depends on space, layout etc.

I am not sure is available cutaways are copyrighted - I think they are. I have cutaways of a lot of Indian a/c

In the meantime here is a page that seems to offer royalty-free silhouettes
http://www.fotosearch.com/one-mile-up/a ... /OMU111/2/

[Suneet]

anyone got hold of 'himalayan blunder' -dalvi ?
possible to have a review on its authenticity? I think its banned in India.

[nitinr]

If you talking about "The Great Himalayan Blunder" by Brig. J.P. Dalvi then I have it. Purchased second hand in Delhi in CP. Quiet an interesting read.

[Jagan]

Its only "Himalayan Blunder". Its a good book, probably in my top 10 as far as indian army books are concerned. but copies are hard to get by. and no , its not banned in india. (neither is Neville Maxwells much reviled "India's China War")

[Sriman]

"Himalayan Blunder" is available on Flipkart.

[krishna_j]

shiv


I think its a brilliant idea - I cant think of any recent guides incl jane's following this

The warplane monthly from the UK in early 90's had this approach - though it was more 3-4 line diagrams - to identify weapons , weapons layout config and the main parts - of course it was a lot bigger and could afford a detailed cross-section also .

Advantages of modern tech and Photo Shop will do wonders

took me sometime to dig out what i had in mind (apologies for the poor scan - needs an upgrade):

[krishna_j]

one more scan of the latest state-of-art from Warplane :

[Rahul M]

some of the best short summaries and overviews of aircrafts I've seen are from forecast international. I'll try and hunt down some online sources, if available.

if anyone has a copy lying down somewhere, please oblige.

[krishna_j]

One more scan