India, April 25 -- The white colonial bungalows of Ferozepur cantonment gleam in the late spring sunlight. The many monuments and plaques at the chowks and in the streets commemorating fallen soldiers send an involuntary shiver down the spine. As does the black-and-white photograph of Cfn MC Gopala Pillai, killed during the 1965 war with Pakistan, that hangs in my room at the EME Mess. This town on the Sutlej, with its Sikh Empire-era fort and memorials of the Anglo-Sikh wars, hosted the 1st Ferozepur Heritage, Military and Literary Festival held on March 28 and 29, at the Dass & Brown World School campus and the Sunder Singh Stadium. There's an edge-of-the-world feel to Ferozepur, once a distant suburb of Lahore, which is just 89 km away. "Only in 1947 did Ferozepur become a heavily monitored border city," said keynote speaker Lt Gen (Retd) TS Shergill, recalling childhood memories of mundan ceremonies and picnics on the banks of the Sutlej, and tongas clip-clopping down the streets. "It's true that Ferozepur is an area of shaheedi (martyrdom)," he added, alluding to the many military campaigns that have been fought here, including the Battles of Ferozeshah (December 21-22, 1845), Mudki (Dec 18, 1845) and Saragarhi (September 12, 1897), and the Battle of Hussainiwala in 1971. Bullet marks still score the walls of the Kaisar-i-Hind bridge in Hussainiwala, about 10 km outside Ferozepur. Incidentally, the Hussainiwala railway station, up the road from the closed border check post with Pakistan and the National Martyrs' Memorial where Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were cremated, is now the last stop on the Northern Railway. These days, trains chug into the station just twice a year: on Shaheedi Diwas on March 23, which marks the day in 1931 when the three freedom fighters were executed, and on Baisakhi. Befittingly, a festival session titled Ferozepur Gazetteer: Echoes of Yesterday, Pathways of Tomorrow moderated by communications skills professional Swati Rai stressed the importance of the place to Sikh, Punjabi and modern Indian history. "What Gurugram is to Delhi now, Ferozepur was to Lahore," said Anirudh Gupta, CEO of the DCM Group that organised the event with the Military Literature Festival Association and the Indian Army's Golden Arrow Division that is stationed in town. "Punjab National Bank (PNB) opened its second branch here and Lala Lajpat Rai had an account there," he added. Military historian Brigadier (Retd) JS Arora spoke about the land's geographical history, the construction of its canals, and the warring families who ruled the area before Ferozshah Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi, possibly founded the city. "Ferozepur is a gateway and also a defensive bulwark," said Major General (Retd) Balwinder Singh. The sessions, including one that focused on opportunities for women in the Indian armed forces that featured, among others, Col R Sharmila and Lt Col (Retd) Himanshi Singh, and the military weapons and equipment display were well attended. The event also hosted a photo exhibition featuring beady-eyed paradise flycatchers, thoughtful iguanas and more, by Brigadier (Retd) Bikram Singh. The panel discussion West Asia in Turmoil and Stakes for India was expectedly lively. "The presence of the PM in Israel two days before the war was a strategic mishap," stated Major General (Retd) HV Singh, while Maj General (Retd) Sudhakar Jee thundered about the challenges ahead: "Fifty percent of our energy requirement comes (via) the Straits of Hormuz. There's a requirement to diversify towards renewable energy. The impact (of the war) will be on agriculture, clothes, food and travel. India has $40 billion plus remittances from the Middle East... GOI needs to invest in the navy and to invest heavily in surveillance systems." "West Asia is likely to remain in turmoil for some time," said Lt General (Retd) Dr JS Cheema, while Maj Gen HV Singh added that the international state of flux that has resulted will probably see China reunify with Taiwan sometime between December 2026 and April 2027, in time for the 100th anniversary of China's People's Liberation Army. Everyone seemed to agree the US had blundered. "Iran has the third-largest oil reserve in the world. Iranians have been preparing for this war since the early 2000s. One day of conflict puts the US back by a year," said Major General HV Singh. "Going to war is one thing; exiting on a high note is another," said Lt Gen Cheema. All of which recalled what Lt Gen (Retd) TS Shergill stated in his keynote speech addressed to an auditorium full of young military personnel: "These days, the conflicts that you see are a form of total war. You are used to it because you play video games and, in them, your object is to kill, kill, kill. Unfortunately, that is happening in life. Standoff weapons are being used; countries are being destroyed, women and children are being killed without remorse, and with savagery and brutality unmatched. This is because you do not hear the screams of the wounded, you do not smell the sweet-sour smell of blood, and you think it's alright. I'm here to tell you it is not alright. Humanity must prevail." Few outside Punjab know about this town that slipped to the periphery when the Radcliffe Line was drawn. Perhaps that's set to change with the Ferozepur Heritage, Military and Literary Festival turning the spotlight on an area that's played a vital role in the subcontinent's history....