Gunga Din

"Gunga Din" is a famous 1892 poem by Rudyard Kipling, featured in his collection Barrack-Room Ballads. The poem, written in a Cockney dialect, focuses on the British enlisted soldier and their experiences defending the British Empire.1

The poem tells the story of Gunga Din, an Indian water carrier who dreams of becoming a British soldier. During an attack by native thugs, Din heroically warns approaching British soldiers of an ambush, sacrificing his life in the process. His bravery leads to him being posthumously honored, with the poem's final lines acknowledging his courage and worth. The poem was later adapted into a 1939 American action-adventure film of the same name.2