India, May 24 -- Brigadier Harishchandra Singh, an 80-year-old, retired armoured corps officer made me sit up and feel so proud of our Kshatriya traditions. The spirit of the Gita, of being ever ready to fight for a righteous cause and sacrifice even one's life for the greater good, came alive. War clouds gathered menacingly over India and Pakistan, we were waiting for the sinister events to unfold anytime, when this old brigadier shared a letter with me. This brave officer wrote to the commandant of 68 Armoured Regiment, his old unit (guess what?) that he was ready to serve the nation on the battlefront. I reproduce the letter below:

"Dear Col. Rishi Chauhan,

In case our country goes to war with Pakistan, then I would like to offer my ...