# Retired general recalls India’s transformation from Partition to Kargil 2026-08-14T20:30:55+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Lieutenant General Arvind Mahajan, who retired in 2007 after nearly four decades in the Indian Army, says his generation helped shape a newly independent India. Born in 1947, he served in forward areas including Ladakh, Joshimath and the former North-East Frontier Agency, now Arunachal Pradesh. He recalls a time of poor roads, weak communications, rationing and limited facilities. Mahajan says highways, tunnels, bridges and modern communications have changed border regions, while India has also expanded in education, healthcare, technology, energy and the economy. He describes the 1962 war with China as a major influence on his generation’s decision to join the armed forces. He calls the Kargil War one of the defining experiences of his career and links India’s national growth to the technological evolution of the Army’s EME Corps. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Tags: Arunachal Pradesh, Arvind Mahajan, Indian Army, Kargil War, National Defence Academy Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/retired-general-recalls-indias-transformation-from-partition-to-kargil/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/retired-general-recalls-indias-transformation-from-partition-to-kargil/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.