Let me begin by saying that this is a fair statement. Compared to what the likes of Sven Hassel or Leon Uris have written, Vivek's novel gives relatively little space to the human face of war. But that's not what the book is about anyway! Vivek's subject is the war itself, and not one or two players dealing with a tiny aspect of a larger conflict. You really can't put such vivid descriptions of battles across the gamut of operations and at the same time give enough time and space to develop characters in depth in a single, readable novel.The book is all war: military units like an armoured formation or an AWACS aircraft are shown in action with their crews but Ahuja largely ignores the human face of war
What I take exception to is the use of the cliched phrase "capture... the futility of war". Arre bhai, why do we take it for granted that war is futile? There are situations in which resorting to controlled violence is the only path to a lasting solution. When the peaceful/diplomatic option has been exhausted, there may be no choice for a nation to go to war to further its ends. As long as the leadership keeps sight of realistic long-term political objectives and doesn't think of war as an end in itself, the "futility" of war is open to debate. Was 1971 futile? Operation Polo? The Liberation of Goa? But I rant...
On the other hand, the writer does seem to be a jingo who "yee-haw!"-ed every time a Rambha smacked down a J-10. That much is evident from his writing!