ABOUT US

The Sikh Light Infantry, comprising Mazhbi and Ramdasia Sikhs, well known for their dauntless daring, matchless fidelity and indomitable spirit, is one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army. Its origins lie in the middle of the 19th century when the first Mazhbi soldiers were enrolled in the British Indian Army. It is, today, operationally focussed, forward looking, confident in its traditions, and with an ethos that guarantees success in its endeavours. The foundations of the Regiment have been built on the martial spirit that embodies the tenet that every soldier is a weapon who is prepared to engage the enemy and place himself in harm's way without consideration of his own safety or comfort. The Regiment is confident in its leadership and the fellowship of its soldiers.

A soldier in India has to fight in circumstances that are extremely varied in temperature, weather, vegetation, altitude, fauna and terrain. The combat environment is characterised by friction and uncertainty. Military operations can continue for long periods - even decades. Battles may have to be fought for extended periods and soldiers have to remain in the combat zone over even longer time horizons. This burden on an individual soldier creates its own stress, born out of danger, fear, confusion, chaos, exhaustion, loneliness and privation. The complexity of combat demands a well-trained, disciplined and committed soldier. The Sikh Light Infantry reflects this nature of soldiering, with its prime virtues of steadfast loyalty, dogged tenacity and intrepid gallantry.

The regimental system of the Indian Army is unique, and loyalty to a regiment is a singular characteristic. Each regiment is a family, zealously guarding its heritage and traditions. This culture emanates from the background from which its soldiers are recruited. It creates an esprit de corps that has on occassion snatched victory when others have been given to despair. It exemplifies the spirit of soldiers who serve and, if necessary, are ready to lay down their lives for their country and the beliefs for which the nation stands. It underscores the fundamental and unique demands of battle and the individual soldier's unlimited liability. It requires the subordination of individual aspirations and rights to the needs of the team, and provides the higher purpose of a career as a soldier.

The regimental system is a key focus in the training of soldiers. It is one of the building blocks that make it a valuable attribute of a modern army. It inspires feats of valour and instills a sense of justifiable pride and self-confidence in all ranks. It encourages emulation of great deeds of forbears and to live up to a proud heritage. It bolsters unit cohesion and esprit de corps. The Sikh Light Infantry holds its collective memory and history high as the living embodiment of what has gone before. This fraternal belonging remains strong throughout the life of a soldier and beyond. It mirrors the fact that the human dimension of soldiering adds unquantifiable value to its operational effectiveness. Regimental spirit is a focus for the camaraderie that is at the heart of soldiering. It plays a great part in the strength of a regiment and the enjoyment of the profession of arms.

The spirit of The Sikh Light Infantry goes beyond the wearing of a distinctive uniform, badges or emblems. It encompasses a powerful bond of shared adversity in battle and other operations. It signifies the mutual respect and friendliness that enhances personal fulfillment in the army, on and off duty. It is manifest on operations, training and the social life of the Regiment. A key characteristic of this spirit is pride, which inspires individuals and units to the greatest heights of self-sacrifice and valour. It binds soldiers from the widest variety of backgrounds, giving them an identity, and transforms them from a collection of individuals into a professional family.

The Regiment is a lifelong home to its members, and is the focus of responsibility to all its soldiers, serving and retired, and their families. Regimental spirit and tradition is a powerful factor in making for good morale. In the crisis of battle a man derives encouragement from the glories of the past, while seeking direction from his leaders and backup from comrades of the present. Above all is the abiding sense of faith. Soldiers of The Sikh Light Infantry jealously guard their heritage and time and again have been inspired above and beyond the call of duty by their traditions. This abiding factor has its roots in faith that creates its own synergy. This faith is reflected in its religion, its conduct and its beliefs. It is a talisman bequeathed to it by its culture, history and traditions.

The operational success of The Sikh Light Infantry is founded on the martial spirit that takes enormous pride in the achievements of the past, seizes the demands and opportunities of the present, and focusses always on the challenges of the future. Failure is unthinkable in its endeavours. Yet to describe these soldiers adequately, to do justice to their merits and methods, is the most difficult task in the world. Both, The Sikh Pioneers and its successors, The Sikh Light Infantry were raised during times of great strife, when there was a mounting and urgent demand for troops. That they responded with alacrity, and performed with great fortitude and élan, is a measure of the trust and faith reposed in them. Unmindful of casualties, their perseverance under fire and adversities, and their exemplary conduct when called to bear arms is legendary.

The most important resource of a military is its soldiers. The fighting spirit within them is what brings victory. While the notion of espirit de corps may appear abstract, the manifestation of that spirit and the results it brings are a matter of historical record. What makes the soldiers of the Sikh Light Infantry special? To understand this requires knowledge of the social and cultural background of its recruits. Looked down upon in their villages for centuries, they have found recognition in the brotherhood of soldiering. Service in the military has provided a means of upward mobility in their social standing. They have repaid the trust and faith reposed in them with their lives. Their fortitude, tenacity and fealty are manifest in their uncomplaining attitude to the hardships of combat. Their ethos is to fight through all conditions to achieve victory, no matter how long it takes or what effort is required. It is manifest in their pride for the uniform. Their loyalty, once gained, is absolute.

A number of adjectives describe regimental spirit: aggressiveness, battle sense, beliefs, competence, initiative, instinct, standards, synergy and trust. It comes from attitudes, beliefs, faith, passion, training and will power. It results in out-leading, out-thinking and out-fighting the enemy. Warriors display it in their moral and ethical values and in the reflection of these traits and characteristics in the soldiers they lead or follow. This is the essence of The Sikh Light Infantry. A regiment has a spirit, an identity and an image, derived from its institutional personality and traditions. Its pursuit for glory is not self-serving. It comes from service to a cause, to the people on whom you rely, and who rely on you in return. Adversity cannot destroy it as the regiment pursues a cause greater than itself. This book is a celebration of the matchless and unparalleled traditions of The Sikh Light Infantry. It is a saga of individual bravery, extreme devotion, undying loyalty, resilient courage and dedication to duty. It manifests itself in actions on and off the battlefield that transcend what doctrine or combat power ratios indicate is possible. It refreshes memories of past events in a faithful narrative of undying glory and provides an insight to the character, method and nature of its men. This remarkable record is not only of the generals and other officers in whose honour bugles are blown, but also of those soldiers of the Regiment who carried the day in distant places, and cannot be known.