Born in Rawalpindi, immediately after independence, Brigadier Bali moved with his family to Delhi, where he completed his education and got his Masters degree in English. He subsequently joined the Indian Army, as was the tradition in his family and also did his M.Sc. (Defence Studies) from Defence Services Staff College (Wellington). Widely travelled both within the country and abroad, Brigadier Bali retired after almost four decades in the Indian Army, including National Security Guards (NSG?Black Cat Commandos), to pursue what he always wanted to but was prevented by soldiering priorities. ?Military Wisdom? is, thus, his cherished indulgence, which took almost fifty years of relentless research and consequent articulation on paper with a zeal to proliferate the ancient as also contemporary military wisdom and thoughts for the present/future generations to gain.