There are books on Indian military history, and then there are intriguing quiz books with bite-sized information on the Indian armed forces. There are historians who chronicle the armed forces in detailed, weighty tomes, and then there are quizzer-doctors who, while navigating their daily routines, craft engaging brain-teaser collections. In both cases, it is the latter that attracts the lay reader to intriguing nuggets. 

Naam Namak Nishan 2 (Penguin, 190 pages) is particularly noteworthy because it reunites a diverse team of five doctors, spread across different ages and living in various parts of the world. Their reunion for the sequel underlines their passion for quizzing. Standing firm at the intersection of armed forces’ history and pop culture quizzing, Naam Namak Nishan 2 (N3-2) is a compelling and valuable addition to the literature on the Indian armed forces presented through multiple prisms—geography, mythology, sports, fashion, arts and, of course, nation-building. As Commodore Srikant Kesnur (retired) describes in the foreword, N3-2 serves “as a stepping stone in the journey of curiosity”, catering to varied readers—a future mastermind, a quizzing ace, a military enthusiast and a historian.