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Forever Forty, by Subhashini Vasanth and Veena Prasad, describes the life of Colonel Vasanth, who has been honoured with the prestigious Ashoka Chakra (posthumous). Summary of the Book Forever Forty describes the valorous, inspiring life of Colonel Vasanth Venugopal. He was the Commanding Officer of 9 Maratha Light Infantry - a unit of the Indian Army. He was killed in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, while preventing heavily armed infiltrators from trespassing the Indian border. This biography is written by his wife Subhashini Vasanth, along with Veena Prasad. It talks about Colonel’s childhood, his friends, his marriage with the woman he loved, raising adorable children, and staying true to his own self till the very end. Vasanth was known for his incredible sense of humour, which is still evident in his letters and other writings to his family. While he stayed away from his loved ones in the times of anniversaries, birthdays and other celebrations, while fighting against the enemies in harsh and unforgiving climates and landscapes, Vasanth maintained his composure and bravery, and became a martyr on July 31st, 2007. He was forty when he sacrificed his life for the nation. The book is enriched with stories warmly recalled by his friends and relatives. It is more stirring, as it is written by the army man’s wife. About the Authors Subhashini Vasanth is a proficient Bharatanatyam dancer. She holds a degree in Psychology, Literature and Journalism. Apart from being a performing artist, she also teaches classical dance, and is into modelling and a bit of acting too. She has played the lead role in a play she has written called The Silent Front, which poignantly presents the strength and sacrifices made by a soldier's wife. She is an avid traveller and has traversed the most remote areas in India as an army wife, and also across striking European locations as a dancer. She has set up the Vasantharatna Foundation for Art in memory of her husband, Col. Vasanth. The Foundation aims at reaching out to the children of martyrs, especially those from the ranks, and helping them with their education in the form of scholarships. She currently lives with her two daughters in Bangalore. Veena Prasad graduated as a Computer Science engineer. She has previously worked for a large software exporter in India. She later spent a few years being a mother, and has been writing on a freelance basis ever since. She lives in Bangalore with her husband and son, and builds crosswords in her free time.