A cavalryman to the core

One incident that remains shrouded is the standoff between Gen Sundarji, the Army Chief, and Gen VN Sharma in 1987.

C Uday Bhaskar

Updated At : 07:05 AM Aug 01, 2026 IST

GENERAL VN Sharma (retd), who passed away in Delhi on Friday (July 31), was a cavalry officer to the core. Commissioned in 16 Cav, the oldest armoured regiment, he internalised the cavalry ethos all his life: speed, surprise and keeping a steady nerve under fire. He was appointed Army Chief in May 1988 when Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister.

THE TRIBUNE, India’s oldest, daily English-language newspaper, was first published on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), and save for 40 days in the immediate aftermath of Partition, has come out every day over the last 145 years. THE TRIBUNE was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist of the time. The newspaper is run by a five-member Trust, which is chaired by Shri N N Vohra, former Governor of J&K State (2008-2018); as well as Justice S S Sodhi, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court; Shri Gurbachan Jagat, former Governor of Manipur; Lt Gen. Shamsher Singh Mehta, former Western Army Commander; Shri Paramjit Singh Patwalia, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court.

THE TRIBUNE is free, objective, and independent. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language, are the hallmarks of the paper.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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A cavalryman to the core

One incident that remains shrouded is the standoff between Gen Sundarji, the Army Chief, and Gen VN Sharma in 1987.

C Uday Bhaskar

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