The Indian soldier, who is equipped and trained for victories in conventional war -- like during the Indo-Pak conflicts of 1965 and 1971 -- and the 1999 Kargil conflict, has had to reorient himself to grapple with new challenges. The most serious of which is terrorism.

A Border Security Force trooper with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher patrols a highway in Anantnag on September 26, 2002 before a visit by then Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah.

Photograph: Ami Vitale/Getty Images