He fought in three wars over ten years, cut off his own leg, and still managed to command battalions in ice and snow. Meet a war hero like none other.
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00:00And so I cut off my leg and told him to go and bury it.
00:04Poor chap.
01:00I lost my second in command, I lost my platoon commanders, I lost my NCOs, we had very severe
01:19casualties because we were fighting all the time.
01:34Because she has stood by me right through all these years, 63 years, and my life is
01:43being great because of her.
02:10The last kukri attack in modern military history.
02:15Cut off about 32 heads with our kukris.
02:27Don't mess with the Gurkhas, otherwise you will lose your head.
02:55The CO was very suspicious of this move by the Pakistanis and said, sorry, we have no
03:14orders to accept your surrender, go back and let us continue the fight.
03:27Three brigadiers, two full colonels, 173 officers, 290 JSUs, and 8,000 troops surrendered,
03:36352 of us.
03:43I said, where is my kukri?
04:02So he said, here it is, sir.
04:04I said, cut off my leg.
04:06So he said in Nepali, Sir, I can't do it, why don't you wait for the doctor?
04:13And so I cut off my leg and told him to go and bury it.
04:18Poor chap.
04:31I had not joined the army to be a Babu.
04:35So I said, sorry, I want to command a battalion.
04:56So I decided to go and meet him.
04:58That involved a climb of about 3,800 feet.
05:04So I climbed and I met him and we had breakfast together.
05:16So I went with him to Ladakh and clambered over snow and ice.
05:20And he came back and called for my file and said, yes, give him a battalion.
05:47I have been campaigning for the marigold to be the flower of remembrance for India's
05:54war dead.
06:08To do what you love, to love what you do, to never be afraid and to never give up.