WHERE HONOUR COMES HOME : 13 GRENADIERS(GJ)-16 MAY 2026

WHERE HONOUR COMES HOME : 13 GRENADIERS(GJ)-16 MAY 2026

The golden haze over the Aravalli ridges had barely begun to thin when the first jeep rolled through the sandstone gates of Risala Mess. This marked the start of The Grinders Get Together which included all the 40 Offrs, 28 Ladies, four children and 12 Veteran Grinders JCO/OR in Jaipur Mil Stn.

The occasion was nothing, just an idea rolled over minds of offrs of 13 GRENADIERS (GJ) to honour the men who wore the uniform before the current generation picked it up and those who are giving their best to the regt. Part reunion, part tribute, part homecoming, the event has grown over the years into one of the most emotionally charged gatherings.

The idea behind the gathering, the concept of the get together emerged from a simple but profound recognition, that the bond between a soldier and his Regt does not dissolve at retirement, it deepens. Veterans carry within them living institutional memory — the unwritten codes, the tactical wisdom, the esprit de corps that no trg manual can fully capture. The Indian Army, aware of this, has institutionalised such reunions at mil stns across the country to keep that channel open.

At Jaipur, Col Somendra Kumar, CO 13 GRENADIERS (GJ) had been personally invested in this event . "We don't invite veterans — we bring them home," he told the assembled offrs at the briefing the previous evening. "Every man who walks in tom carries a piece of this Regt's soul. Our job is to make him feel it."

Lgs for such an event are themselves a mil op. Theme was decorated with the regimental colors and garlands, a shamiana of Red and Orange ran its entire length, lined with chairs arranged with the precision the Army brings to everything it touches.

Veterans arrived to the sound of a brass band playing the regiment's march past tune — a melody that, for many, had sound tracked the most defining mornings of their lives. Young soldiers stood at the entrance as ushers, their posture immaculate, guiding the grey-haired men with a reverence that needed no instruction. It was simply understood. The function began with a traditional welcome ceremony.

The ladies of the Regt were seeming to keep more pride in themselves of being a Grinder. "These women are also soldiers of a kind," the CO told the gathering. "They wore no uniform — but they served." 

Photographs circulated — some on smart phones, cameras and lastly in hearts of all. The unit band played various tunes that were nostalgic and made the evening complete. The band stayed true to its name and over 125+ year old legacy.

The Indian Army's care for its offrs is often spoken of in terms of policy and welfare schemes. But standing at Jaipur that evening, watching old soldiers and young ones exchange something invisible and essential across the space of decades, one understood that the grinders get together was not a pgme. It was a covenant — renewed each year, between a regt and the men who first made it what it is.

The night was at its peak . The brass band had packed away its instruments. But the memories made today were for the life .The men have given there life to the regt and the army and the army has given them a life they can’t possibly forget. Some traditions need no order to be followed.   "They served then. We serve now. One regiment. One honour."

‘SARVADA SHAKTISHALI’