But after 2022, something changed. Recruitment dropped to just 25% of vacancies filled. Why? Agnipath. Migration. Drug abuse. And a growing belief that the Army no longer guarantees a future. So the Army did something unusual; they went village to village. Met sarpanches. Talked to families. Reminded young Punjabis: This is your legacy. The result? In 2025-26, recruitment jumped to 50%. Not perfect; but a turnaround. Not with ads or slogans alone; but with boots on the ground, conversations in gurudwaras, and veterans telling stories of courage that still echo in village courtyards. The Sikh Regiment isn’t just filling quotas. They’re rebuilding pride; one village, one family, one recruit at a time. And if this momentum holds, Punjab might once again be the heart of India’s infantry.