PARAM VIR

OUR HEROES IN BATTLE

Maj Gen Ian Cardozo
 INTRODUCTION
• This is the story of men under fire, of the courageous
Indian soldier inspired by his officers. While war is an
extension of the politics of a nation, it ultimately falls to
the lot of the soldier to face combat on the ground.
• What makes these men the way they are? This book helps
us understand better the Indian soldier and his degree of
commitment to the Indian Army and to the nation that he
serves.
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Major General Ian Cardozo was born in Mumbai and
studied at St Xavier’s School and College.
• He was commissioned at the Indian Military Academy into
the 1st Battalion the Fifth Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force). He
was one of the first officers to be awarded the Sena Medal
for gallantry on a patrol in NEFA in 1960.
• Wounded and disabled at the battle of Sylhet in Bangladesh
in 1971, he overcame the handicap of losing a leg and
became the first officer of the Indian Army to be approved
for command of an Infantry Battalion, and subsequently,
also the first war-disabled officer to command an Infantry
Brigade.
 CONTENTS
• What is not known to many is that for every act of heroism
that is awarded recognition, there are innumerable acts of
courage that remain unreported, unrecognized and
therefore unknown.
• According to the author, the fact is acknowledged by many
countries who pay particular importance to this reality and
give it great significance at the national level. After World
War I, many nations set up memorials to the ‘Unknown
Soldier’ as a tribute to those who had died in combat. As
recognition of the sacrifices made by all unidentified
casualties in national wars these memorial are set up in
public places where the people of that country are able to
pay homage.
 CONTENTS
• What about India? Do we have a war memorial other than
what was built by the British in the form of India Gate in
New Delhi, which honours Indian soldiers who died during
World War I.
• Maj Gen Ian Cardozo has efficiently brought out various
wars that have been fought by our gallant nation in
defending tedious boundaries. Blood has been shed and
sacrifices made in numbers not just for a piece of metal,
which dangles on the uniform of the brave soldier but to
save the honour and glory of the nation.
 RELEVANCE IN OUR
CONTEXT
• Maj Gen Ian Cardozo combines his experience with in
depth research of the subject. A piece of historiography
which is intensely researched, beautifully etched out in
great words with quotations that make it more interesting,
and it definitely deserves to be read by all.