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{{Short description|Former Indian army officer}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Major general (India)|Major General]]
| name = Ian Cardozo
| honorific_suffix = [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal|AVSM]] [[Sena Medal|SM]]
| image = Ian Cardozo.jpg
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| native_name =
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1937|8|7}}<ref name="bio">{{cite web|last1=Singh|first1=Aarti|title=10 Indian Soldiers Whose Courageous And Patriotic Stories Need To Be Retold|url=http://www.polkacafe.com/patriotic-stories-of-indian-soldiers-3069.html|website=Polkacafe.com|date=12 Aug 2016}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Bombay]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]
| death_date = 
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| allegiance = [[India]]
| branch = [[Indian Army]]
| serviceyears = 1954–1993
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| rank = [[Major general (India)|Major General]]
| rank_label =
| servicenumber = IC-10407<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=1814 |date=22 November 1986 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>
| unit = 1/[[5 Gorkha Rifles]] & 4/[[5 Gorkha Rifles]]
| commands =
| battles_label =
| battles = {{Unbulleted list|
[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]|
{{*}}[[Battle of Sylhet]]
}}
| awards = [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]<br>[[Sena Medal]]<ref name="adapt">{{cite news|last1=Pisharoty|first1=Sangeeta Barooah|title=Unknown soldier... to you I bow|url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/02/13/stories/2003021300110300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031104175131/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/02/13/stories/2003021300110300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 November 2003|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=13 Feb 2003}}</ref>
| memorials =
| spouse = Priscilla Cardozo
| relations =
| children = 3
| laterwork = {{plainlist|
* Former Chairman – [[Rehabilitation Council of India]]
* [[Trustee]] – [[National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Trustees – NCPEDP|url=http://www.ncpedp.org/Trustees|publisher=[[NCPEDP]]|access-date=17 May 2017}}</ref>

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[[Major general (India)|Major General]] '''Ian Cardozo''' [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal|AVSM]] [[Sena Medal|SM]] is a former [[Indian Army]] officer. He was the first war-disabled officer of the Indian Army to command a [[battalion]] and a [[brigade]].<ref name="interview">{{cite news|last1=Claude|first1=Arpi|title=1971, A War Hero Remembers|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-a-war-hero-remembers/20111207.htm|work=[[Rediff.com]]|date=8 Dec 2011}}</ref> He is an [[Amputation|amputee]] due to a war injury.<ref name="bio" />

==Early life==
Ian Cardozo was born to Vincent Cardozo and Diana (née de Souza) Cardozo in 1937 in [[Bombay]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]. He studied at [[St. Xavier's High School, Fort]] and [[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle|last1=Cardozo|first1=Ian|date=2003|publisher=Roli Books|isbn=9351940292|pages=228}}</ref>

==Military career==
Cardozo graduated from the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]] and then attended the [[Indian Military Academy]], from where he joined the [[5 Gorkha Rifles]] ('''Frontier Force''') and he was commissioned & later commanded the 1st Battalion of the 5th Regiment of Gorkha RIfles aka "1/5GR(FF) or 1/[[5 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]].<ref name="adapt" /> 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.

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, the cadet who was awarded the gold medal was also first in order of merit. This has happened only one more time thereafter.(source :General himself and from his profile)

===Pakistani-Bangladesh War of 1971===
At the outbreak of the [[Pakistani-Bangladesh War of 1971]], Cardozo was attending a course at the [[Defence Services Staff College]], [[Wellington Cantonment|Wellington]]. His battalion, 4/5 Gorkha Rifles, was already deployed in the eastern theatre of operations. The battalion's second-in-command was killed in action and Cardozo was ordered to replace him. He arrived at his battalion in time to accompany them on the Indian Army's first heliborne operation during the [[battle of Sylhet]].<ref name="selfampute" /> He was popularly named ''Cartoos [[sahib]]'' by his Gorkha regiment as they found it difficult to pronounce his first name.<ref name="sdfbook">{{cite book |last1=Bisht Rawat |first1=Rachna |title=Shoot, Dive, Fly : Stories of Grit and Adventure from The Indian Army |date=15 Oct 2017 |publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited |isbn=9386651696 |pages=208}}</ref> Cartoos means a cartridge in [[Hindi]].

After the fall of [[Dhaka]], Cardozo stepped on a [[land mine]] and his leg was critically injured. Due to non-availability of [[morphine]] or [[pethidine]], and absence of medics, his leg could not be amputated surgically. He subsequently used his [[khukri]] to amputate his own leg. Afterwards, his unit captured a [[Pakistan Army]] surgeon, Maj. Mohammad Basheer, who operated on Cardozo.<ref name="selfampute">{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-ian-cardozo-i-cut-my-leg-off-and-ordered-go-and-bury-it/20111208.htm|title='I cut my leg off and ordered: 'Go and bury it'|last1=Arpi|first1=Claude|date=8 Dec 2011|publisher=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref>

===Later career===
After his amputation, Cardozo had a wooden leg. Despite this, he maintained his physical fitness levels and beat a number of able-bodied officers in battle physical fitness tests. He then put his case to the [[Chief of Army Staff (India)|Chief of Army Staff]] at the time, Gen. [[Tapishwar Narain Raina]], who then asked Cardozo to accompany him to [[Ladakh]]. After observing that Cardozo could still walk in the mountains through snow and ice, Gen. Raina allowed him to command a battalion. A similar situation occurred when he was to take command of a brigade.<ref name="selfampute" /> He was promoted to Brigadier on 1 March 1984.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=338 |date=7 March 1987 |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>

=== Military Awards and Decorations ===

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|
|[[File:Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:Sena Medal ribbon.svg|105px]]
|
|-
|colspan="4"|[[File:Wound Medal-India.svg|105px]] [[File:India General Service Medal 1947.svg|105px]] [[File:IND Samar Seva Star Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|[[File:IND Poorvi Star Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND Raksha Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND Sangram Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|[[File:IND 25th Anniversary Independence medal.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 30 Years Long Service Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="2"|[[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]
|colspan="2"|[[Sena Medal]]
|-
|colspan="1"|[[Wound Medal (India)|Wound Medal]]
|colspan="2"|[[General Service Medal 1947|General Service Medal]]
|colspan="1"|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|Samar Seva Medal]]
|-
|[[Poorvi Star]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|Raksha Medal]]
|[[Sangram Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|Sainya Seva Medal]]
|-
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|25th Anniversary of Independence Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|30 Years Long Service Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|20 Years Long Service Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|9 Years Long Service Medal]]
|-
|}

== Personal life ==
Cardozo is married to [https://fnewshub.com/2021/10/15/ian-cordozo-real-life-photos-family-wife-son-biography/ Priscilla] and has [https://fnewshub.com/2021/10/15/ian-cordozo-real-life-photos-family-wife-son-biography/ three sons].<ref name="interview" /> He currently resides in [[New Delhi]].<ref name="adapt" />

He served as the Chairman of Rehabilitation Council of India from 2005 to 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rehabcouncil.nic.in/forms/Sublink1.aspx?lid=823|title=RCI – Annual Reports|publisher=[[Rehabilitation Council of India]]|access-date=16 May 2017}}</ref> He is also a marathon runner, and regularly takes part in the Mumbai marathon on his prosthetic limb.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/viral-and-trending/220118/running-for-causes.html|title=Running for causes|last1=Das|first1=Sucharita|date=22 Jan 2018|work=[[Deccan Chronicle]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.asianage.com/life/more-features/220118/mumbai-runs-with-all-its-heart.html|title=Mumbai runs, with all its heart|last1=Salvi|first1=Pooja|date=22 Jan 2018|work=[[The Asian Age]]}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
He authored several books on military history of India:-

* Bhartiya Sena Ka Gauravshali Itihas {{ISBN|8173155372}}
* India in World War I: An Illustrated Story {{ISBN|9789384898502}}
* Lieutenant General Bilimoria: His Life & Times<ref>{{cite news|last1=Filmer|first1=Antonia|title=‘In the Army, work and play are synonymous’|url=http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/opinion/5863-army-work-and-play-are-synonymous|work=[[The Sunday Guardian]]|date=30 Jul 2016}}</ref>
* Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle {{ISBN|9351940292}}
* Paramvir Chakra : Manojpandey {{ISBN|8174369007}}
* Somnath Sharma: Hero of the Battle of Badgam in 1947 who Helped Prevent the Fall of Srinagar {{ISBN|8174369236}}
* Shaitan Singh: Incredible Heroism Displayed by a Small Group Against Hordes of Chinese in the Battle of Rezang La in 1962 {{ISBN|8174369155}}
* The Bravest of the Brave: The Extraordinary Story of Indian VCs of World War I {{ISBN|9789386141767}}
* The Indian Army: A Brief History {{ISBN|8190209701}}
* The Sinking of INS Khukri: Survivor's Stories {{ISBN|9351940993}}
* 1971 - Stories of Grit and Glory from the Indo-Pak War {{ISBN|9780143454557}}<ref>{{cite book |title=1971-Stories of Grit and Glory from the Indo-Pak War |date=June 2021 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=9780143454557 |url=https://penguin.co.in/book/1971-2/ |access-date=12 June 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[F. N. Billimoria]]
*[[Yogendra Singh Yadav]]
*[[Zorawar Chand Bakhshi]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://claudearpi.blogspot.com/2011/12/forty-years-after-general-cardozos.html Forty Years After: General Cardozo's incredible story]

{{Ati Vishisht Seva Medal recipients}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardozo, Ian}}
[[Category:Indian generals]]
[[Category:Indian amputees]]
[[Category:Indian military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]
[[Category:Indian disability rights activists]]
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Indian military historians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:Indian Military Academy alumni]]

Ian Cardozo - Revision history

Bot at 13:37, 23 April 2022