A couple of years back our humble coin managed to rise to the status of contraband when it started getting smuggled to Bangladesh. These coins are supposedly melted and made into shaving blades, idols of Gods and Coin-God knows what. Some say this might have contributed to the shortage at home. The coin traders are not happy with the limited supply of coins as they are not able to meet up with the coin demand from the shopkeepers, who in turn are almost always out of change.

Humans have an innate, deep rooted, and a strong desire to be famous, or at least be well-known. Even the most private individuals want to be known, and appreciated, for what they are and what they do. The recent growth in the number of reality shows – however much we may claim to despise them – bears ample evidence to the fact that people like to be famous, even if the fame lasts only for fifteen minutes.

The day I was commissioned in the Gorkha Regiment, I knew I have been put with the most dynamic yet simple soldiers of the mighty Indian Army. The physically undersized and naïve Gorkha with small, barely discernible eyes, can be the most ferocious and heroic warrior in the combat zone on one hand, while on the lighter side he can be the unanimously proclaimed dope amongst his counter parts in other regiments.