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THE MAHAR REGIMENT Mahars have a long and proud tradition of bearing arms. They were the respected members of Shivaji's and later of the Maratha armies. Mahars formed part of the Bombay Presidency Army. They had particularly distinguished themselves in the battle for the defence of Koregaon in 1818. A Mahar battalion was raised in 1917 and took part in the Great War, but was later merged with another regiment. Between the two wars, the Mahars had persistently sought a regiment for themselves for service in the Army. These efforts, marked by the quality and level of arguments advanced by the Mahar leader, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, resulted in the Mahar Regiment being raised in 1941. The Regiment fought in Burma, Persia and Iraq in World War II. In 1946, the Regiment converted to the specialist role of fielding medium machine guns, and for a decade and a half rendered most effective support in combat. The medium machine gun detachments were most warmly welcomed in

THE BIHAR REGIMEN Bihar is the cradle of ancient Indian civilisations and empires. Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim influences intermingled to produce a soldiery which was traditionally arms bearing, disciplined and deeply religious. The Bihar Regiment claims its origins from the sepoy battalions raised in 1758 by Clive at Patna. These were formed by the men from the Bhojpur region of Bihar. Their success in combat had impressed the local ruler Mir Kasim, to begin raising units trained in western combat techniques. The Bihari battalions raised by Mir Kasim had not only done well, but beaten the British in some engagements. The Bihari, or poorbia/purviah soldier thereafter continued to provide the backbone of The Bengal Infantry of the British. The Bihari was not only an excellent soldier, he was also quick to learn and apply the tactical drills with initiative. He was disciplined when led by good officers, but capable of hostility when his beliefs and customs were disreg