The awe-inspiring story of India's first paraplegic major-general

Sixteen years ago he was part of a crack team in Kashmir sent to rescue women taken by the Lashkar-e-Toiba as sex slaves.

He recounts killing two terrorists. The third fell face up. “I thought he was dead, but he fired,” he says. “The shot went through my abdomen, my intestines spilled out and my spine broke. I knew I would never walk again. Yet, I shot him dead.” He refused to be evacuated till the encounter was over, sustaining himself on self-administered intravenous drips. He was later awarded the Kirti Chakra.

When we seem to be beset on all sides by stories of rampant corruption at the highest levels of politics and business, this saga in The Week of the unflappable Major-General S.K. Razdan is so awe-inspiring. It serves, perhaps, as a reminder of the triumph of the human spirit. It also reinforces our belief that "positive thinking" works; it's not just a concept.

COURAGE PERSONIFIED: Major-General S.K. Razdan

One year after he was shot, Razdan went back to work. Rekha Dixit, who met Razdan in New Delhi for this profile in The Week, writes:

The general has a demanding career, he often returns by 8:30 p.m. “Fortunately, the Army preferred to see the skills I have instead of the disability,” he says. He is now assistant chief of the Integrated Defence Staff.  His speciality is counterinsurgency.

At work, the biggest challenge is to perform like others; he hates sympathy. “I am lucky I have not received help I didn’t want,” he says. The Vishisht Seva Medal he received last year is testimony to his professionalism.

And take a look at his morning schedule:

Razdan’s day starts early; he does his ablutions without help, then exercises. The self-designed regime includes push-ups, stretches and a session on a self-made pulley-operated gym. In the sunny front yard, Razdan demonstrates his exercises, pulling off his sweatshirt to reveal enviable biceps.

The paragraph continues:

At this moment, his wife, Manju, steps out. “Arrey, what are you doing? Are you Salman Khan?” she says, taking in the scene. “Salman Khan, wow, let me have a glimpse, too,” giggles a neighbour from the balcony upstairs. Manju is in a hurry; she has to run several chores. Razdan reluctantly puts back his shirt. “I will take her to the bank and then we will continue,” he says. He wheels himself to the car shed and shifts without assistance from wheelchair to the driver’s seat. “It is important to know driving,” says Manju. “If I could, I wouldn’t be so dependent on him.”

This is a feel-good story like no other that I have read in recent times.

You can read the profile in full here: "Generally speaking".

PS: The magazine has some heart-warming pictures of Major-General S.K. Razdan that are not on the website.

• Photo courtesy: The Week