In May 2021, as COVID’s 2nd wave hit Kashmir, Maj Gen Vishwasrao mobilised 1,500 Kashmiri military veterans as COVID Warriors; 400 got deployed in hospitals and care facilities. Wearing jackets proudly reading “Not retired, but re-attired”, they won doctors’ trust, managing hospital stores and even repairing water supplies. Long unfairly labelled as informers, the veterans became protectors of their community, going on to lead blood donation, Dal Lake clean-up and anti-drug campaigns.