Cartoos Sahib

Ian Cardozo was born to Vincent Cardozo and Diana Cardozo in 1937 in Mumbai. He studied at the renowned St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.

Cardozo graduated from the National Defence Academy and then attended the Indian Military Academy. Then he joined the 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) and he was commissioned & later commanded the 1st Battalion of the 5th Regiment of Gorkha Rifles. He has also served with 4/ 5 Gorkha Rifles and has fought 2 wars alongside them-Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He is the first NDA cadet to receive both Gold and Silver medals. The gold medal is given to the cadet of the passing out course for best all-round performance while the silver medal is given to the cadet who is first in order of merit. For the first time in the history of the National Defence Academy, Cardozo sir was awarded the gold medal was also first in order of merit. This has happened only one more time thereafter.

In the year 1971, India was in war with Pakistan to liberate Bangladesh. While his battalion, the 4/5 Gorkha Rifles were deployed in what was then East Pakistan, Major General Cardozo was enrolled in a course at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu.

Following the death of the officer who was the second-in-command of the battalion, an immediate replacement was to be found, and the concerned officials selected Major Cardozo for this task. His posting was cancelled, and he was ordered to join the battalion immediately.

His timely arrival was of immense help to the battalion, which was severely short on manpower. Through a swift military offensive that lasted only 13 days, India successfully defeated Pakistan and liberated Bangladesh.

It was during this time that the Major Cardozo sir earned the nickname 'Cartoos Sahib,' as the soldiers in his battalion were not able to pronounce his name! This was also the war that witnessed the Indian Army's first-ever heliborne operation. In fact, the battalion of only 480 men created history when they accepted the surrender of around 1,500 men that included three Brigadiers, a full Colonel, 107 officers, 219 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO), and 7,000 troops from the Pakistan Army!

After the fall of Dhaka, when the Indian Army was rounding up the prisoners of war (POWs), Major Cardozo, who had gone to help the BSF commander in charge of the count, met with an accident. He stepped on a landmine and lost most of his leg in the resulting blast.

A part of his leg which had remained attached to his body, could not be amputated surgically because due to the extensive war wreckage, no form of medical anaesthesia or surgical equipment was available at that time.

There was no time for wastage, so major Cardozo asked the doctor on duty to cut off the leg. Due to the lack of equipment, the doctor refused to perform the task, which then prompted the Major to order his sahayak (orderly) to amputate his leg with his own khukri.

When he too refused, Cardozo cut his leg himself and said dispassionately, "Now go and bury it."It was Major Mohammad Basheer, a captured Pakistani Army Surgeon, who operated on Cardozo.

This incident would have meant the end of field duty for any other officer, but Major Cardozo did not like to be demoted to staff duty. He gallantly fought for the commander's position and even surpassed the 'two-legged' officers during the intense physical fitness examination.

History was created when he went on to become the first war-disabled Army officer to command not just a battalion but also a brigade. A brigade in the army is typically composed of three to six battalions plus supporting elements.

Despite clearing the fitness test, the medical officers did not approve Major Cardozo, so he took his case to General Tapishwar Raina, the then Chief of Army Staff, who was impressed by Cardozo's resilience and asked him to accompany him to Ladakh.

Upon observing that Major Cardozo could easily walk through the sturdy mountains with the snow hardly affecting him, the General personally recommended that the Major should be allowed to command a battalion. The incident repeated itself when Major Cardozo motioned for the brigade commander's position and won once again. He reasoned that if he was capable of commanding a battalion, so he should be capable of commanding a brigade as well. 

Due to Major General Cardozo, three other army officers later went to become army commanders. In fact, one of the officers, who was a double amputee, went on to become the Vice Chief of the Indian Army.

After retirement, Major General Cardozo served as the Chairman of Rehabilitation Council of India from 2005 to 2011. He was the recipient of military decorations like the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and the Sena Medal (SM), the 83-year-old currently resides in New Delhi with his wife, Priscilla and has three sons.

We salute "Cartoos Sahib,' major General Ian Cardozo, the 1971 war veteran, whose fearlessness and commitment to duty is not just legendary but also unparalleled in the history of the Indian armed forces.

He has proved that nothing could come in between passion to serve the motherland. He could have easily taken to staff duties after the accident, but he instead choose field duty and went on to create history!

Jai ho Cartoos Sahib !