Salam Fauji:Colonel Vishwas Keshav Bhandare

The Lion of 2 Para: The Untold Saga of Colonel Vishwas Keshav Bhandare

By John Aguiar

In the quiet lanes of Goa, among the swaying palms and heritage homes, lives a man whose life story reads like an epic of grit, gunpowder, and unparalleled gallantry. At 84, Colonel Vishwas Keshav Bhandare (Retd.) remains a towering figure—not just because of his 6-foot frame, but because of a legacy forged in the heat of two major wars and the high-altitude frontiers of India.

From Panjim to the Paratroopers

Born in 1942 in the historic Mhamai Kamat mansion, Bhandare’s roots are deeply Goan. The son of a renowned physician from Cumbarjua, he was a star athlete at RPD College, Belgaum, representing Karnatak University in football and volleyball against international teams. However, the call of the uniform was stronger than the lure of the sports field. He traded his jerseys for olive greens, commissioning into the elite 2 Para—a unit where he would spend 18 years of his illustrious career.

The 1965 War: Valor at the Ichhogil Canal

As a young Lieutenant with barely 1.5 years of service, Bhandare found himself in the Rann of Kutch and later at the Lahore Front. His bravery was "old school" and cinematic. To gather intelligence, he would crawl into enemy territory with just three men, throwing stones to provoke Pakistani fire just to map their positions.

On one such foray, he famously sneaked up to an unmanned Pakistani tank, dismantled its heavy machine gun, and lugged it back to his base—a trophy that remains a point of pride at the 2 Para Quarter Guard to this day.

The Battle of Dograi (September 16/17, 1965) cemented his reputation. Leading his 'Bravo' Company of South Indian jawans, the air was thick with the war cries of "Swami Ye Ayappa." In a harrowing face-to-face encounter, Bhandare was ambushed by three armed enemy soldiers. Armed only with a bayonetted rifle, he used swift, rowing actions to neutralize two, while the third—later identified as Naik Munawar—surrendered in terror.

Though recommended for a Vir Chakra (VrC) by his CO, Lt. Col. Ram Singh Yadav, the award was lost in the labyrinth of military bureaucracy. To Col. Bhandare, however, the lack of a medal matters little; he famously remarked that without a "Wound Medal," gallantry awards feel incomplete.

1971 and Beyond: The Skies Over Tangail

By 1971, then a Major, Bhandare was instrumental in the precision drills at Agra that allowed 2 Para to assemble for battle in under 30 minutes. This efficiency was vital when the battalion was airdropped at Tangail in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)—the closest drop to Dhaka—effectively sealing the fate of the war.

His later years saw him commanding the 6 Bihar Regiment in the sensitive Doklam sector. It was here, in 1984, that he survived a catastrophic air accident while on duty. Despite a shattered pelvis and numerous broken bones that required decades of surgeries—the most recent in 2021—his spirit remained unbroken.

A Message to the Next Generation

Retiring in 1998 after a distinguished career that spanned the Western Command and NCC Goa, the Colonel now looks back on a life defined by the "Ramrod Method"—a technique he used to save his men under crossfire by marching them in a single file to minimize casualties.

His message to the youth of Goa is as sharp as his bayonet:

> "Be the future’s strength through discipline and integrity. Whether you are a soldier, an innovator, or a leader, put the nation first and turn your dreams into reality through hard work."

Colonel Vishwas Keshav Bhandare is more than a veteran; he is a living testament to the fact that heroes walk among us, often in the quiet dignity of retirement, carrying the silent weight of history on their shoulders.