Renovated Rezang La memorial honours 1962 war heroes

The basic tenet of defence by the infantry is to “fight till the last man and the last round”. This is easier said than done.

One such example of a last-ditch stand was the battle of Saragarhi in 1897, when 21 Sikh soldiers of the Indian Army fought till the bitter end against thousands of Pashtun tribesmen in the North West Frontier Province, now in Pakistan.

These heroes were applauded in the British parliament and all 21 awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest gallantry award that an Indian soldier could then receive.

Another Indian sub-unit, Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon, came