A day after the Pahalgam terror attack, 80-year-old Ranu Lal walked 50 kilometres to a Border Security Force base in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, carrying nothing but a handwritten letter, his cane, and a lifetime of courage. A former army guide during the 1971 war, Lal offered to serve again, stating his familiarity with the terrain beyond the Indo-Pak border. His resolve echoes from a time when he, alongside two other villagers, risked his life guiding troops across enemy lines armed only with iron-plated sticks and sheer bravery.