The Madras Sappers And Miners: Over 200 years of brains, muscle, skill and courage

A silver statuette of a 'thambi' ('younger brother' in Tamil) wearing his trademark 'dubte' headgear; he stands on a teak plinth with a plaque engraved with the emblem of Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers And Miners.

In the annals of fighting men and women, few come close to the exploits of the Indian Army's Madras Engineering Group. And certainly none have built, maintained and destroyed as much as these officers and soldiers who have fought from Afghanistan to Zoji-La since 1780. One of their most fearsome inventions, the Bangalore Torpedo, has been deployed by armies in countless battles. Few know it's named in honour of Bangalore (now known as Bengaluru), the city the Madras Sappers call home.