This tradition remains alive in the subcontinent. Gurkhas from Nepal are widely considered the world’s best infantry soldiers and continue to serve in the armies of many countries from Britain to Brunei. Similarly, India has been the single largest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world since 1950.11 Other countries in the subcontinent too have made major contributions. This is just one of the many continuities of history that we will encounter through the book.
