Coffee with a War Hero

I usually hate wars. Everyone hates wars. In a war, there are no winners. But it is necessary to protect our own interest. People in the army have always amazed me. Their persona, their dedication, their sparkle in the eye. Their eyes show the immense amount of satisfaction that they get with their personal sacrifice for the good of the nation. Many of these men and women could opt for lucrative jobs in other vocations. They do not have to go to the border, stay away from the family, put their life at risk, earn lesser than their peers in other fields, but they do. These breed of men and women are of a different kind – I realized after meeting Col. Ramesh Sharma over a cup of coffee at Costa Coffee at Connaught Place, Delhi.

Col. Ramesh Sharma is retired from the army and is now in the corporate world. What does he do? He turns around failed companies. He says passionately about his days in the army. ‘I enjoyed every single minute of my life in the army. And what I do today is also the same. Turning around situations that hang on the brink of failure.’ Col. Ramesh Sharma, for people to have an easy connect was the real life character Amitabh Bachchan had depicted in the film Lakshya.

Speaking about those decisive days of the Kargil War, he says - When the first attack of the battalion failed, I was asked to take over a new battalion and recapture Tiger hill. I refused a new battalion. ‘If the failed battalion would have not got a second chance, they would have had to live in shame for the rest of their lives for their failure.’

He went out and asked the jawans, how many of them were ready to launch another attack on the infiltrates. Each one of them put their hands up. He went to his senior and told them, he would continue the attack with the same battalion. It didn’t mattered if he was court-martialed. 12 hours later, he was given the permission. He went back and faced his battalion. He gave up his gun and refused to wear the bullet-proof jacket. He told his men – I will be walking in front of you with nothing but a chadi (a thin bamboo stick). Save me if you can, from the bullets of the enemy.


Nevertheless to say, in the battle that followed, Tiger hill was re-captured, one of the key moments in the Kargil war. A war that was standing on the brink of failure had turned around. He now does the same with failed companies. It is not much different from war, he says. ‘Only here, your life is not threatened by a bullet.’

Colonel now also visits management colleges and shares his experience to teach young people in the art of leadership. We salute to you and to the men who lay their lives for the country expecting nothing but honor!