Kohli's Defence Equipment & Hardware

07/12/2025

07/12/2025

07/12/2025

In a run up for the release of Ikkis , a tribute to our PVC heroes!

THE BALLAD OF THE PARAM VIR

To those who walked willingly where only fate positioned them to tread,
and to the families and regiments who forged such men ;
this tribute stands at attention.

When the tricolour was young and the land still raw,
1947–48 called for warriors , and warriors answered.

Badgam held because Maj Somnath Sharma, 4 Kumaon (Posthumous) held the line;
he fell — but Kashmir stayed India’s spine.
Tithwal shook , yet Lance Naik Karam Singh, 1 Sikh broke the tide;
storms charged at him , and storm itself died.
Rajouri’s road opened under fire because Second Lieutenant R R Rane, Corps of Engineers refused to yield;
where tanks faltered , Rane cleared the field.
The picket was doomed — but Naik Jadunath Singh, 1 Rajput (Posthumous) stayed;
one Rajput against hundreds , and history obeyed.
Tithwal’s fury rose , and CHM Piru Singh, 6 Rajputana Rifles (Posthumous) rose higher;
one man charging , a single wildfire.

1961 called across oceans; Congo was aflame and peace stood on a knife’s edge.
Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, 1/3 Gorkha Rifles (Posthumous) sealed the breach where danger poured ,
a curved khukri stroke and peace restored.

Then winter came for India in 1962.
Mountains tested men, and men answered mountains.
Sirijap froze , yet Maj Dhan Singh Thapa, 8 Gorkha Rifles burned bright;
the dragon struck , and Gorkhas owned the fight.
Wounded and bleeding, ammo gone dry , Subedar Joginder Singh, 1 Sikh (Posthumous) fixed bayonet,
roared battle-cry.
Rezang La stood because Maj Shaitan Singh, 13 Kumaon (Posthumous) would not fall,
a leader in front , the bravest of all.

Armour thundered in 1965, and two lions stood their ground.
One gun, three tanks , death in sight , CQMH Abdul Hamid, 4 Grenadiers (Posthumous) fired till the last,
and won the fight.
Phillora burned , yet Lt Col A.B. Tarapore, 17 Poona Horse (Posthumous) led the spear;
a flaming tank , still charging without fear.

Fire returned in 1971 on the Eastern front, and four heroes rose to meet the sun.
Bunker to bunker through mortal pain, Lance Naik Albert Ekka, 14 Guards (Posthumous) fell ,
but the flag rose again.
Six Sabres against one , an unfair fight , yet Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, 18 Squadron (IAF) (Posthumous)
turned the heavens into India’s right.
Steel on steel , Basantar roared , four tanks burned as Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, 17 Poona Horse (Posthumous) soared.
Wounded yet standing in machine gun flame, Maj Hoshiar Singh, 3 Grenadiers became his battalion’s name.

1987 bore two heroes , worlds apart, same valour in the heart.
In the blizzard and ice of Siachen, Naib Subedar Bana Singh, 8 JAK LI climbed through death’s way;
he took the post and made Siachen ours that day.
And in Sri Lanka’s jungles, shadowed and tight, Maj Ramaswamy Parameswaran, 8 Mahar (Posthumous)
shot in the chest , still reversed the fight,
calm and commanding till his last breath goodnight.

Then the mountains called again in 1999, and four warriors of Kargil answered without pause.
“Yeh Dil Maange More” — the heights complied and Captain Vikram Batra, 13 JAK Rif (Posthumous)
fell saving a brother - glorified.
Bullet-torn , yet forward he led, final bunker cleared by Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey, 1/11 Gorkha Rifles (Posthumous) objective said.
Three wounds deep , yet sixty feet high , Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav, 18 Grenadiers silenced the guns — and won the sky.
Scout in front , no cover, no shield , Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, 13 JAK RIF seized their gun
and owned the field.

Tribute to NDA, IMA, and OTS / OTA

And a salute to the forging grounds of courage ,
NDA, where boys first learned to dream like warriors;
IMA, where those dreams were hardened into honour;
and OTS / OTA, where men from every walk of life
chose the uniform over comfort, and duty over certainty.

There, drill squares turned hesitation into discipline,
obstacles turned fear into confidence,
and instructors with stern voices and giant hearts ,
taught the one lesson that shaped every Param Vir:

The body may tire, the mind may doubt ,
but the spirit of the soldier never breaks.

Behind every Param Vir stood a mother who gave her son to the nation,
a father who shaped discipline beyond fear,
a spouse who lived with separation and pride,
a child who inherited legacy over presence,
and regiments that tempered mortal men into steel.

Kumaon, Sikh, Rajput, Grenadiers, Gorkhas, Guards,Poona Horse, JAK LI, Mahar,
and the Air Warriors of the Indian Air Force ,
you raised men who defined the meaning of courage.

Some returned , many did not
but none ever surrendered resolve.

To the twenty-one , Ikkis who wear the Param Vir Chakra in eternity ,
death bowed before duty, and history bowed before them.
Their names are not memories ,
they are marching orders for every generation that will defend India.

*जय हिंद और जय हिंद की सेना* 🫡🇮🇳🫡

07/12/2025

🚨General Army We all hav experienced this- Medical Life — Anecdotes Across Postings

Army medical life is not one life — it is many. It changes with every posting, every climate, every unit you serve, and every soldier you treat. What remains constant is the unpredictability, the discipline, and the sense of being responsible for lives far beyond your own. Here are lived realities from the length and breadth of an Army doctor’s journey — anecdotes that reveal what the uniform silently teaches.

1. The Morning Sick Parade: A Lesson in Grit

In a peace station, morning sick parade often began before sunrise. A line of soldiers would gather — some coughing, some limping, some simply exhausted.
One winter morning, a young sepoy walked in shivering, clearly febrile. I asked, “When did the fever start?”
He replied, “Last night, Sir.”
“And why didn’t you come then?”
He smiled faintly, “Night sentry duty, Sir. Someone had to stand guard.”

***That is when I learned an unspoken truth:
A soldier does not wait for comfort to heal. He waits for his duty to allow him permission.

2. The Regimental Spirit in the OT

In a field hospital, an urgent appendectomy came in late evening. The theatre assistant on duty was a Lance Naik who had finished a punishing day and should have gone off shift.
“Go rest,” I told him.
He shook his head, tying his mask.
“Sir, he is from my company. I’ll stay.”

***In civilian life, teams work shifts.
In the Army, teams work bonds.
No SOP teaches this. Only life in olive green does.

3. Ambulance on the Mountain Road

Posting in a high-altitude area is a chapter of its own. Once, during an emergency evacuation from a forward post, the road was half washed-out by a landslide. The ambulance could not pass.

A Havildar quietly said,
“Sir, load him on the stretcher. We’ll walk.”

They carried the casualty for two kilometres in freezing wind, boots sinking into slush, breath turning to mist. I walked beside them, listening to the laboured rhythm of determination.
Every step felt like a battle.

***In that moment I realised:
In the mountains, equipment saves lives. But willpower saves more.

4. When the CO Was Also the Attendant

During my tenure as a Commanding Officer, we once faced a sudden influx of casualties after a vehicle accident during a convoy movement. The medical assistants were stretched thin.

I found myself holding a drip bottle over a young rifleman while giving instructions to the MO treating another casualty. Rank dissolved. CO, MO, NA — all became hands in service.

***Leadership in uniform means only one thing:
In crisis, you do the job that needs you most — not the job printed on your appointment letter.

5. The Soldier Who Hid His Pain

Once, in a desert station, a jawan reported with abdominal pain.
“How long have you had this?” I asked.
“Three days, Sir.”
“Three days? Why didn’t you come earlier?”
He replied simply, “Patrolling was short of manpower. I thought I’ll manage.”

Diagnosed with acute appendicitis, he was rushed to surgery. Post-op, he apologised — as if falling sick was a failure.

***This humility, almost to a fault, is unique to the fauj.
It teaches the doctor as much as the patient.

6. The Night the Generator Failed

In a remote field hospital, the power went out during a minor procedure. The generator sputtered and died.
Silence.
Then someone switched on a torch.
Another pulled out a lantern.
The nursing assistant held the light steady while I completed the last sutures.

No panic. No shouting.
Just quiet efficiency born of countless adversities.

***Army medical life teaches you:
Don’t curse the darkness — work with the torch you have.

7. The Toughest Patients Are the Quiet Ones

Soldiers seldom complain. They under-report pain, hide injuries, and often laugh off symptoms.
Once, a jawan walked in after a route march, joking with his buddies. His foot was swollen, discoloured.
A stress fracture.
He said, “Sir, thought it’s just a sprain. Itna toh chalta hai.”

***That line — itna toh chalta hai — is both the strength and weakness of a soldier’s spirit.
It reminds a military doctor to look beyond words — to read gait, expression, hesitation.

8. The Farewell Nobody Talks About

The most difficult moment for any Army doctor is not an emergency. It is handing over a body to the unit after doing everything possible. The silence in the room, the steady faces of the soldiers receiving their fallen comrade, and the unspoken weight of loss —
these moments carve themselves into memory.

***In the fauj, grief is disciplined, but it is not absent.
It simply wears olive green.

9. The Uncelebrated Victories

Sometimes, healing a soldier does more than restore a life. It restores a platoon’s strength, a unit’s morale, and a family’s stability. These victories do not appear in newspapers.
But they echo through decades.

An old OR once visited the hospital after retirement. “Sir, you treated my son when he was in training years ago,” he said. “He is an NCO now.”

***That is when you realise —
a military doctor does not treat cases; he shapes futures.

10. Beyond Medicine — The Family You Inherit

Every posting brings families — wives who manage loneliness with grace, children who change schools like seasons, parents waiting through months of separation. Treating a soldier often means treating his household’s unseen burdens.

***You learn quickly:
In the Army, healing is never just clinical. It is personal.

Conclusion

General Army medical life is not confined to wards, OPDs, or OTs. It is lived in barracks, at checkpoints, on icy cliffs, inside ambulances, and in moments of human vulnerability that uniformed service rarely narrates aloud.

These anecdotes are more than memories —
they are principles forged in experience. I am fortunate enough that I lived those memories!

All of us have faced it.

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