Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo (Retd.) requires no introduction. A veteran of the 1971 Indo-Pak War, he has the distinction of becoming the first officer with an artificial leg to command a battalion and later a brigade…
While serving in the 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), he was severely wounded due to a mine blast after being dropped behind enemy lines in Sylhet Sector in India’s first heliborne operation during the conflict. Uncaring of his wounds, he severed his injured foot with his khukri and chose to soldier on in his regiment. He subsequently commanded a division and retired as Chief of Staff of a corps in the Eastern Sector. He is now a social activist, author and military historian. His books, ‘Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle’ and ‘The Sinking of I.N.S. Khukri: Survivors’ Stories’ have received both critical and popular acclaim. He was Chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India from 2009-2014.
In this brief but hard-hitting piece, the veteran stresses that a nation should never forget its martyrs…
Soldiers die every day in the line of duty – in the jungles of the North East, in the icy wastes of Ladakh and Siachen, fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and in a myriad other death-defying scenarios. Sometimes when the death is dramatic, it makes news – most often they die in quiet oblivion. Either way, they are soon forgotten, except by the families in whose homes the lights went out when they lost a father, son or brother.
What is important however is to realise that the ultimate sacrifice made by soldiers yesterday, today and tomorrow needs to be remembered.
Next year will mark 70 years since the 1947-48 Indo-Pak War, and we as yet, do not have a proper war memorial for all who have died in all the wars and counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations that we have fought since Independence. Families of dead soldiers have been waiting patiently for the war memorial so that they can pray at the site for their loved ones who made the supreme sacrifice. In the meantime many of these families have themselves passed away having waited all these years in vain. The Indian soldier has been told that the memorial is in the pipeline and that this project will be completed in five years’ time. When did the countdown of five years start and when will it finish? A promise is a promise only if it has a deadline!
In the meanwhile, veterans of the armed forces feel that something ought to be done till then. They have voiced the need for a Remembrance Day and a symbol to remember India’s ‘Unknown Soldier’. The West has the poppy as its symbol of remembrance. Indian veterans feel that no flower could be more meaningful as a symbol of remembrance for the war dead of India than the marigold. They suggest that a day could be nominated as ‘Remembrance Day’ and the marigold as the symbol of remembrance.
(Collection courtesy Chief Copy Editor Abhijit C. Chandra)