Excitement comes looking for us in the Army: 1971 war veteran Maj Gen Cardozo

He also called for the defence authorities to use marigold flower to honour the fallen heroes, not poppy.

- RAHUL GAHLAWAT

Defence and internal security issues were discussed extensively as war veterans, analysts and retired generals, including some who were part of the Uri surgical strike operation, shared their heroic stories in multiple sessions of the Festival of Ideas that saw an overflow of patriotism.   

Addressing the audience at the event, hosted by NewsX, The Sunday Guardian, and India News that are a part of the iTV Network, Major General Ian Cardozo narrated absorbing anecdotes from the PakistaniBangladesh War of 1971and also encouraged the young to join the Army for an exciting career. “Excitement comes looking for us in the Army,” he said.

He also called for the defence authorities to use marigold flower to honour the fallen heroes rather than the red poppies that have been used in wreath-making since the colonial era. At a session on “The Ideas We Fight For”, moderated by The Sunday Guardian Editor Joyeeta Basu, Major General Cardozo hailed the military leadership and said, “A jawan fights for his officer, great armies have great commanding officers who can motivate their men to lay down their lives with him.”