Born in 1933 in a small village in Darjeeling, Lama joined the Indian Army at just 16 in 1949, serving with the 8th Battalion, The Gorkha Rifles. Over a career that spanned decades, Lama participated in the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, displaying remarkable courage on each front.