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96 years ago today, the Param Veer of India and Indian Army took birth in a small village of Moga. He was an ordinary child born in an ordinary family of enslaved India but what he did in his life is not only triumphant but also gave a new definition to valour and courage.
Subedar Joginder Singh who got commissioned into Sikh Regiment of British Indian Army was sent to Burma soon after his training is completed. On 15th August 1947 when a huge nation like India attained independence from the treacherous rule of British, his regiment was shifted to Indian Army where he was sent to tension struck area of North Western Frontier Provinces after Pakistani Tribals launched an attack on Kashmir to detach it from India, he along with his men stood his ground and didn’t let those Tribals to take control over Kashmir.
But the real test of his exuberance and firmness was pushed to test in the Indo-China War of 1962. Then 41-year-old Subedar Joginder Singh was on the verge of his retirement, he was a fit as a 16-year-old and ready to go for battle in the service of the nation. Being unacclimated to the terrain Subedar and his few men got the marching orders to NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh), where they were then given the charge of Twin Peaks and IB Ridge in Bum La Axis of Tawang Sector. This feature was crucial for Indians so as to strategically counter any objectionable activity by our larger neighbour, China.
He and his platoon took control of the feature where they were right in front of a humongous Chinese PLA (People’s Liberation Army), taking advantage of their numbers, Chinese everyday launches psychological attack on their Indian counterparts but due to sheer motivation and inspiration provided by Subedar, our Indian soldiers were unabated and didn’t bend their knees in front of these attacks. Frustrated Chinese, finally launched a full-fledged attack on India, later in the October 1962. Subedar and his men in retaliation opened fire against the Chinese PLA and even though they were lesser in number, they crushed their two waves one after another.
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Up to this moment, Indian soldiers were out of their ammunition, half of their men were already martyred and they even got orders to come back from their company Commander, but Subedar and his few men denied the orders and faced the third wave of Chinese PLA with their bayonets. The defeat was inevitable for Indians but that didn’t shake their courage, even after losing all his men and taken into custody by Chinese he denied taking treatment by the enemy and finally achieved martyrdom on October 23, 1962.
Seeing this unprecedented courage, he was awarded by country’s highest gallantry award – Param Vir Chakra (Posthumously), after this announcement even Chinese realized the bravery of this man and returned his mortal remains to his family in India. To mark respect to the extraordinary valour shown by him, a war biopic is in making by Seven Colors Entertainment which ought to be release on April 6, 2018.
Ordinary son of Punjab’s soil became immortal, after being one of only 21 soldiers who were awarded Param Vir Chakra
On his birth anniversary let us keep him alive by serving our nation in every possible manner and make this country worth living
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