3. Ravinder Kaushik
(Black Tiger)
His life still inspires a lot of young RAW
officers and he is still remembered as India’s
finest intelligence agent who never gave up
serving his country in his death. Ravinder
Kaushik will always be a true Indian soldier
who gave his life without ever asking for any
acknowledgement. We salute the great Indian
warrior – The Black Tiger!
Ravinder Kaushik was born in Sri
Ganganagar, Rajasthan on April 11, 1952. He
was a famous theatre artist and displayed his
talent at the national level dramatic meet in
Lucknow, which was witnessed by some
officials of the Indian Intelligence
Agency RAW. He was contacted and offered a
job for being an undercover agent
of India in Pakistan. At the age of 23, he was
sent to Pakistan on a mission.
4. Ravinder Kaushik (cont.)
Ravinder Kaushik was recruited by RAW and was given extensive training
in Delhi for 2 years. In 1975 he was sent to Pakistan and given the name
Nabi Ahmed Shakir. He was successful in getting admission in Karachi
University and completed his LLB He joined Pakistan Army and became
a commissioned officer and later was promoted to the rank of a Major
From 1979 to 1983, while in military service, he passed on valuable
information to RAW which was of great help to the Indian defence forces
He was given the title of 'Black Tiger' by India's then home minister
S.B.Chavan. Some testify that the title was conferred by then Prime
Minister, Indira Gandhi.
In September 1983, Indian intelligence agencies had sent an agent, Inyat
Masiha, to get in touch with Black Tiger. But the agent was caught by
Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and revealed Ravinder Kaushik's true
identity.
5. Ravinder Kaushik (cont.)
Kaushik was then captured, tortured for two years at an interrogation centre
in Sialkot. Ravinder was awarded death sentence in the year 1985. His
sentence was later commuted to a life term by the Pakistan Supreme court
Kaushik was kept in various jails, including Sialkot, Kot Lakhpat and in
Mianwali jail for 16 years, where he contracted Asthma and TB. He
managed to secretly send letters to his family in India, which revealed his
poor health condition and the trauma faced by him in Pakistani jails.
On 26 July 1999, he succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis and heart disease
in New Central Jail Multan. He was buried behind that jail.
Ravindra's family claimed that the story line of the famous Bollywood flick
"Ek Tha Tiger" released in the year 2012 was based on the life of Ravindra
& asked for the credit in the movie titles for Ravindra.
6. Ravinder Kaushik (cont.)
In one of his letters he wrote,
"Kya Bharat jaise bade desh ke liye kurbani dene waalon ko yahi milta hai?"
(Is this the reward a person gets for sacrificing his life for a great nation like
India?)
During his training in Delhi he learned Urdu, got acquainted with the
muslim religious texts, the topography in Pakistan and underwent
circumcision. When he was sent to Pakistan in 1975, all his records in India
were destroyed and he was given a new identity of Nabi Ahmed Shakir.
Nabi Ahmed now started his LLB in Karachi University to create a perfect
back story and join the Pakistan army.
During that time he converted to Islam and married a local girl Amanat,
fathering a son with her. From 1979 to 1983 he passes on critical
information to the Indian defense forces which were of great help.
7. Ravinder Kaushik (cont.)
Kaushik spent the last 16 years of his glorious life in various jails including
Mianwali and Sialkot. Due to the poor facilities in the Pakistani jails, he
contracted Asthma and TB which turned fatal. After enduring extreme
trauma he finally succumbed to a heart disease in the New Central Multan
Jail. The finest Indian spy is still buried today behind that jail.
Using the secret information provided by Ravinder Kaushik,
India formulated a strategy that was always one step ahead of Pakistan's
and checkmated it's war plans. On many occasions Pakistan prepared to
wage war across the borders of Rajasthan in India, but they were foiled due
to the timely advance warning given by Ravinder Kaushik, as he was a
senior military officer in Pakistan by now and had access to top secret
information.
8.
9.
10. Interesting facts about Kalam's life:
Born on 15 October, 1931, in a Tamil Muslim family to a boat owner,
Jainulabudeen, and Ashiamma, a housewife, in Ramanathapuram district of
Tamil Nadu, Kalam's childhood was not easy and privileged.
In order to support his poor family, young Kalam used to distribute
newspapers after his school hours to add to his father's income.
Kalam was a hardworking student too, who enjoyed spending hours on his
studies.
His favourite subjects were Mathematics and Physics and ultimately, he
took up aerospace engineering later in life.
His interest and work in aerospace engineering brought him close to India's
civilian space program and military missile development efforts.
For his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle
technology, Kalam came to be known as Missile Man of India.
11. India owes its development as a nuclear nation to Kalam's organizational
and technical support for Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first such
tests after a gap of 24 years.
At ISRO, He was one of the pioneers of India's first space launch-vehicle
program.
Kalam was recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat
Ratna.
He was also a recipient of honorary doctorates from 40 universities.
A prolific writer, Kalam has authored around 15 books on various subjects
ranging from nuclear physics to spiritual experiences.
His autobiography Wings of Fire: An Autobiography, first published in
English, has been translated into 13 languages including French and
Chinese.
12. Also, there are six additional biographies on his life and works.
Kalam's life also inspired I Am Kalam, a 2011 Hindi film directed by Nila
Madhab Panda.
The film showcases a poor Rajasthani boy, who is inspired by the life of the
former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam. It's Kalam's life which fuels a
strong desire to learn in the young boy.
Sworn in on 25 July, 2002, Kalam became 11th President of India,
succeeding KR Narayanan. For his simple and humble attitude, he was
affectionately known as the 'People's President.'
He died doing what he had been doing throughout his career — sharing
knowledge. A man of astute scientific knowledge who spent most of his life
at India's civilian space program and Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), Kalam will be remembered for his simplicity, humility and
inspiring words.
13. Vikram Batra –
Also known as Sher Shah, Captain Vikram
Batra joined the Indian Military Academy in
June 1996 at Dehradun. After graduating in
December 1997, he joined the army as a
Lieutenant of 13 JAK Rifles at Sopore,
Jammu & Kashmir.
June 1, 1999, his unit proceeded to the Kargil
Sector where by now war like situation had
erupted. The first task assigned to the young
officer was the recapture of Point 5140,
which was at an altitude of 17000 feet.
In a short while Captain Vikram Batra and
his company of troops killed 8 enemy
soldiers and captured a heavy anti-aircraft
machine gun. Mission Point 4140 was a
success!!
14.
15. Vikram Batra (cont.)
Upon reaching the point he got into a cheeky conversation with a terrorist
commander on the radio. The enemy commander challenged him by
saying, “Why have you come Sher Shah (Vikram’s nick name given by
his commanding officer), you will not go back”. Captain Vikram Batra
with immense confidence replied, “We shall see within one hour, who
remains on the top”.
Soon after the victory of Point 5140 he radioed his commanding officer and
said victoriously “Yeh Dil Maange More”( The heart wants more).
“Yeh Dil Maange More” became the catch line for the war!
With the victory of Point 5140 cleared the Srinagar-Leh highway, which led
to capturing of Point 5100, 4700 Junction, Three Pimples and the ultimate
prize- Tiger Hill.
16. Vikram Batra (cont.)
After taking rest for couple of days he was sent for the task of capturing
Point 4750, where he was engaged in the fiercest battle since the war had
started. Vikram was challenged by an enemy officer, “Shershah, nobody
shall be left to lift your bodies” to which Captain Vikram replied,
“Don’t you worry about us, Pray for your safety.” Point 4750 was
captured in no time adding one more victory to the count of Captain
Vikram Batra.
Captain Batra was on a victory rampage, his heart asking for more honor
and victory. He stoutly volunteered for the next mission, which was very
crucial. It was the capture of Point 4875 at an altitude of 17000 feet. He
went for the mission along with his company and another led by Captain
Anuj Nayyar.
17. Vikram Batra (cont.)
A number of enemy troops were killed in this mission. On 5th July 1999
Point 4875 was captured. But the enemy troops set in for a counter attack on
7th July 1999 which was well retaliated by Captain Batra. In all this action
one of his junior officers (Lieutenant Naveen) has severely injured his leg.
Captain Vikram Batra went for his rescue. While dragging Lieutenant
Naveen back under cover he pleaded to Captain Batra to let him continue
the fight inspite the injuries to which Captain Batra heroically replied “Tu
baal bachedaar hai!! Hatt jaa peeche”, (You have kids and wife to look
after! Get back).
For his display of bravery he was awarded Param Vir Chakra, India’s
highest medal for gallantry. His father G.L Batra received the medal from
the President of India on behalf of his brave son.
18. Vikram Batra (cont.)
It didn’t take long for this war hero to realize that he had been hit in the
chest by an enemy bullet and then in a spilt of a second he was hit by a
artillery splinter in the waist region. This great martyr gave away his last
breath with “Jai Mata Di” (Long Live Mother Durga) on his lips. Before
succumbing to his injuries he killed 5 more enemy soldiers.
19.
20. James Bond of India -
“Ajit Doval”
As it turned out, he is currently the
National Security Advisor of our
country. But so what? Does that
make him a James Bond, The
James Bond?
Ajit Kumar Duval , an IPS officer who rose
on to become the Intelligence Bureau director
and now is India's National Security
Advisor.
He is the first cop to get the gallantry award
Kirti Chakra which was till then reserved for
the Army .
But, it is not these designations that make
him extraordinary, its the work this man has
accomplished.
21. Ajit Doval (cont.)
Mission Zone: North-East
He went undercover and won over 6 out of 7 commanders of the Mizo
National Army thereby quenching the Mizo insurgency.
His next assignment was Sikkim , the specific details of the covert work
done there are not available but it is to his credit the merger of Sikkim with
India is credited.
It is interesting to note that he was undercover during this period and spent a
long time in the Chinese territory.
22. Ajit Doval (cont.)
Mission Zone : Kashmir
He was able to turn militants and persuade them to assist Indian forces against
the terrorists. Kuka Parray is a notable example . Kuka Parray was a kashmiri
folk singer who was disgruntled with the Indian administration and supported
the terrorists but Duval was able to persuade him to instead assist in counter
insurgency and thus a great source of insider information about the terrorist
strategies became available to the Indian forces via Parray which helped
to diffuse the militant movement and eventually led to elections in the state
. (Sadly , Kuka Parray who became a MLA was later assasinated by the
militants).
These 2 missions bring out Duval's charisma and his ability to turn people to
his side ! (On Youtube many of Duval's talks are present and indeed you just
want to keep listening to him . )
Yes, he is a great talker and charming in his own way but still he is more of a
Poirot than a Sherlock... more of a Father Brown than a James Bond.
23. Ajit Doval (cont.)
Mission Zone : Pakistan
He was undercover in Pakistan for 7 years!! He sent vital information
regarding their Nuclear development. This is all that is known about his
work in Pakistan, other details remain classified.
Duval sharing a incident while he was in Pakistan. For Non -Hindi speakers
I am giving a rough translation of what he told in first person but it is only a
approximate translation and of course lacks the charisma of the man telling
it himself-
" When in Pakistan , I happened to go to a Dargah since I was supposed to be
a Muslim man. There, in front of the Dargah I saw a man with a long white
beard who called me and asked me whether I was a Hindu? I said it was not
true . He asked me to follow him and took me through some lanes to a nearby
house . He closed the room and told me I was a Hindu since he had seen
a hole in my ear ( In some Hindu traditions , both boys and girls have their
ears pierced at birth). I told him I used to be a Hindu but i had converted but
he insisted I was still a Hindu . Further, he said that he could observe all this
because he himself was a Hindu and showed me Durga and Shiva idols in his
24. Ajit Doval (cont.)
Ajit Doval stayed undercover in Pakistan for 7 years! 7 years, can you
imagine that? 7 years of life in a foreign country living a fake life among
alien people while following a different religion! And it’s not a movie we
are talking about.
25. Ajit Doval (cont.)
Mission Zone : Golden Temple, Amritsar
This might as well be a scene from a movie. It was the late 1980's and the
Golden temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs had been captured by pro-
Khalistani Militants. The Army was in a dilemma . Besides the moral crisis of
storming the holy place was the strategically flaw of not knowing the enemy
number, positions or strength who were holed up inside the temple.
At this stage entered a vendor who loitered around for some days outside the
temple complex. At the backdrop of the tense situation , an outsider who
nobody had seen before moving around was sure to attract notice but the truth
was he was deliberately playing out a suspicious character to get the attention
of the militants . Soon , he was taken inside by the fanatics. He revealed
himself to be an ISI agent who had come to help them against their fight
against the Indian government . The terrorists were bought the tale.
(Convincing terrorists? Now, Who does that but the one and only Ajit Duval)
26. Ajit Doval (cont.)
Soon he had access to the entire complex. The militants Zealously showed
him around and told him about the arrangements they had made for the
fighting. Duval thus obtained and revealed enemy statistics to the Army
which then successfully carried out "Operation Black Thunder".
And Mr Duval was even present at the premises during the fighting !
No wonder, the government had to break all protocol to give him the Kirti
Chakra despite him not being an army man.
27. Ajit Doval (cont.)
IC814 Hijack
Doval was the main negotiator with the terrorists during IC814 hijack.
Moreover, he has been involved in the termination of all 15 airplane hijacks
that took place between 1971-1999.
28. Ajit Doval (cont.)
Iraq Mission – Bringing back 46 Nurses from Iraq
When the situation for 46 nurses seemed bleak in the violence torn country
Iraq, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Doval to carry out a high level
meeting for bringing back 46 nurses and if necessary to carry out a mass
evacuation of Indians from Iraq.
Just the day after meeting, Mr Doval went on a secret mission to Iraq to
complete the task as he always did.
Today, Mr Doval is the National Security Advisor to Narendra Modi since 30
May, 2014. He was also the director of Intelligence Bureau in 2004-2005 after
heading its operation wing for a decade.
In 1988, he was awarded with Kirti Chakra, one of the highest gallantry
awards that is only given to military men. But seeing his contribution to our
country, an exception was made, and he became the first Police Officer to
receive Kirti Chakra.
29. Manoj Kumar Pandey
For displaying the most conspicuous personal
bravery and junior leadership of the highest
order, Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey was
awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's
highest medal for gallantry, posthumously.
"He died the most glorious death", said Rai,
a Vir Chakra awardee, recounting the epic
battle of Kargil and Capt. Manoj's will to
fight and indomitable spirit in capturing the
Khalubar Hills on the night of July 2-3, 1999.
Even in his death, there was glory, because
his rifle were pointing towards the enemy
bunkers, which were empty by then and the
frozen fingers squeezing the triggers.
He cleared NDA in his very first attempt and
in his SSB interview his assessor asked
"Why do you want to join army?
He replied, "To get the
PARAM VIR CHAKRA".
30. Manoj Kumar Pandey (cont.)
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw had once said, "If a man says he is not
afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha". The Gorkha regiment
is one such ferocious regiment in our Indian Army and Captain Manoj was
commissioned in to it. He was the platoon commander of 1/11 Gorkha
rifles, which played a major role in the success of Operation Vijay.
Captain Manoj Pandey's regiment was in Siachen, from where they got
the orders to move to Batalik Sector. His commanding officer Colonel
Lalit Rai gave him the responsibility to re capture Khalubar post.
Earlier, two patrolling party belonging to 16 Grenadiers and 3 Punjab
had gone there, but even after 16 days there was still no news of them.
They were all were killed by enemy's mortar and heavy machine guns.
31. Captain. Manoj moved to Kukarthan, where he faced heavy fire and
couldn't advance further. He, then, decided to halt there and wait till the
night. By taking the advantage of darkness, he attacked on the enemy post
and fought whole night to capture it. In early morning hours, Capt. Manoj
decided to end the night long battle and went up the post without caring
about the possible mines. He fought ferociously and finally captured the
post but lost 9 of his men.
This young officer’s appetite of victory was not over yet. Unstoppable Capt.
Manoj got yet another difficult task to recapture Jubar post on 11 June 1999,
which was considered as important due to its strategic location. He led his
men to enemy position through a narrow ridge. The Pakistani troops started
heavy fire and due to the enemy's position(they were on the top), it was very
tough to find the location of their position.
32. He volunteered himself to locate the position of their bunkers and
commanded his Platoon to stay in the positions. While doing so, he was hit
by a bullet in his shoulder. He came back, informed his fellow Officer about
the location of 6 bunkers (2 left and 4 right) and asked him to take half the
men and go attack the the 2 bunkers towards left while he took in charge to
destroy the other 4 bunkers.
Even though hit, Capt. Manoj charged at the enemy with a loud battle
cry"Jai Maa Kali, Aayo Gorkhali". In between, he was hit again on his
leg and waist. He continued firing at enemy's bunker and then charged at
enemy with his Khukhari, in a hand-to-hand battle to kill two more enemies.
Inspired by him, his troop fell upon the enemy.
33.
34. Unmindful of his grievous wounds, he rushed from bunker to bunker urging
his men to go on. Critically bleeding, he collapsed at the final bunker and
finally succumbed to his injuries, but not before the last of the enemy had
been annihilated. His last words were, "Na Chodnu" (Don't Leave
Them).
When asked, what if you are not able to achieve the victory? What
if you are not able to capture the post?
He had said, "Some goals are so worthy, it's glorious even to fail".
The words of this brave Indian son, still inspires me and all the men
and women in our Country.
35. Neerja Bhanot – A Brave Indian Daughter and
Heroine of the Hijack
36. Neerja Bhanot (cont.)
On 5th September, 1986, four terrorists hijacked the Pan Am flight 73, en route
to Frankfurt and onward to New York City, at Karachi. Their targets were the
American travellers on the plane but with quick presence of mind, Neerja
Bhanot activated a hijack code on the aircraft’s intercom, which let the three-
member cockpit crew escape.
According to reports, she hid American passports after realising that they were
the main target of the terrorists.
When the armed men began to fire blindly, Neerja managed to fling open the
emergency door and asked passengers to flee.
As she shielded three children, Neerja was hit by several bullets and succumbed
to her injuries. She was dubbed as the ‘Heroine of the Hijack’ after she saved
hundreds of lives before dying to a hail of bullets.
This unforeseen incident took place two days short of her 23rd birthday, which
changed her life, that of her family and left an imprint on the pages of history.
37. Neerja Bhanot (cont.)
Such an act of bravery was acknowledged and rewarded by the Indian,
Pakistan and American governments.
Neerja posthumously became the first and only woman recipient of the
Ashok Chakra, India’s highest civilian award for bravery.
A postage stamp was also issued in her honour in 2004.She also received
the ‘Justice for Crimes Award’ and Tamgha-e-Insaniyat award(Awarded for
showing incredible human kindness-Pakistan).
38. Jaswant Singh Rawat – One
man Army, 1962
Indo – China war
Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat was an Indian
soldier who won the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously
at the Battle of Nuranang.
The man was single-handedly responsible for
baffling 300 Chinese soldiers.
Rifleman (RFN) Jaswant Singh, number 4039009,
was serving with the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal
Rifles. On 17 November the battalion was subjected
to repeated Chinese assaults. A Chinese medium
machine gun (MMG) located at a vantage point close
to the A company lines was proving to be a
dangerous menace.
Jaswant, Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi and RFN
Gopal Singh Gusain went after the Chinese MMG
and after approaching within 12 metres threw
grenades at the bunker and charged it, killing a
number of Chinese and capturing the MMG.
39. Jaswant Singh Rawat (cont.)
Jaswant took the MMG and began crawling back towards the Indian lines
but he and Trilok were fatally hit by Chinese automatic fire when nearing
safety.
Gopal Gusain was wounded but managed to drag the MMG into the Indian
post. This turned the course of the battle and the Chinese retreated, leaving
some 300 dead behind. Trilok and Gopal the Vir Chakra.
A popular and widely-disseminated local story goes as follows : it was the
final phase of the sino-indian war in november 1962. Even as his company
was asked to fall back, jaswant singh remained at his post at an altitude of
10,000 feet and held back chinese soldiers for three days assisted by two
local monpa girls named sela and nura.
They set up weapons at separated spots and maintained a volume of fire that
made the Chinese think they were opposed by a body of troops.
40. Finally the Chinese captured the man who was supplying rations to Jaswant
and he revealed to them that they were opposed by only one man.
They attacked in force, Sela died in a grenade burst, Nura was captured and
Jaswant supposedly shot himself with his last cartridge when he realized
that he was about to be captured.
It is alleged that the Chinese cut off Jaswant Singh's head and took it back to
China. However, after the ceasefire, the Chinese commander, impressed by
the soldier's bravery, returned the head along with a brass bust of Jaswant
Singh. The bust, created in China to honor the brave Indian soldier, is now
installed at the site of the battle.
At the spot where he fought,a small temple has come up with a bust of his
and many of his personal effects.
41. Yogendra Singh Yadav
Yogendra Singh Yadav was a member of an
Indian grenadier battalion during a conflict
with Pakistan in 1999. Their mission was to
climb "Tiger Hill" (actually a big-ass
mountain), and neutralize the three enemy
bunkers at the top.
Unfortunately, this meant climbing up a sheer
hundred-foot cliff-face of solid ice. Since
they didn't want to all climb up one at a time
with ice-axes, they decided they'd send one
guy up, and he'd fasten the ropes to the cliff
as he went, so everyone else could climb up
the sissy way. Yadav, being awesome,
volunteered.
Half way up the icy cliff-o'-doom, enemies
stationed on an adjacent mountain opened
fire, shooting them with an RPG, then
spraying assault-rifle fire all over the cliff.
Half his squad was killed, including the
commander, and the rest were scattered and
disorganized. Yadav, in spite of being shot
three times, kept climbing.
42. When he reached the top, one of the target bunkers opened fire on him with
machine guns. Yadav ran toward the hail of bullets, pitched a grenade in the
window and killed everyone inside.
By this point the second bunker had a clear shot and opened fire, so he ran
at them, taking bullets while he did, and killed the four heavily-armed men
inside with his bare hands.
Meanwhile, the remainder of his squad was standing at the top of the cliff
staring at him saying, "dude, holy shit!" They then all went and took the
third bunker with little trouble.
For his gallantry and sheer balkiness', he was awarded the Param Vir
Chakra, India's highest military award. Unlike the Medal of Honour, the
Param Vir Chakra is only given for "rarest of the rare gallantry which is
beyond the call of duty and which in normal life is considered impossible to
do." That's right, you actually have to break the laws of reality just to be
eligible.
43. Baba Harbhajan Singh
(August 3, 1941 –
September 11, 1967)
Major "Baba" Harbhajan Singh was
an Indian army soldier who died near
the Nathula Pass in eastern Sikkim, India. He
is revered by soldiers of the Indian army as
the "Hero of Nathula" and the army men
have also built a shrine in his honour.
He has been accorded the status of saint by
believers who refer to him as the Baba
(saintly father).
Baba Harbhajan Singh born into
a Sikh family on August 3, 1941 in the
village of Batthe Bhaini in Punjab (India). In
June 1956 he enrolled himself as a soldier
in Amritsar and joined the Corps of Signals.
On June 30, 1965 was granted a commission
and posted to the 14 Rajput regiment. During
the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war he served as an
Adjutant of his unit. Later he was transferred
to 18 Rajput. It was with this regiment that he
met his end on September 11, 1967 in
44. His death is that he was a victim of battle at 14500 feet of the Nathula Pass,
Sikkim where there were many fierce skirmishes between the Indian Army
and Chinese Red Army during the 1965 Sino-Indian war. He was
posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra medal for his bravery and
martyrdom on September 11, 1967.
However, according to legend, Harbhajan Singh drowned in a glacier while
trying to lead a column of mules carrying supplies to a remote outpost. As
the first casualty of the 23rd Punjab Regiment in that war, a manhunt was
launched to find him. His remains were found after three days and he was
cremated with full military honours. The legend further claims that it was
Harbhajan Singh who himself helped the search party to find his body. Still
later, through a dream, he instructed one of his colleagues to build and
maintain a shrine in his memory.
45. Some Indian soldiers believe that in the event of a war between India and
China, Baba would warn the Indian soldiers of any impending attack at least
the three days in advance. During flag meetings between the two nations at
Nathula, the Chinese set a chair aside to honour of Harbhajan Singh who
has since come to be known as saint ("Baba")
Every year on September 11, a jeep departs with his personal belongings to
the nearest railway station, New Jalpaiguri, from where it is then sent by
train to the village of Kuka, inKapurthala district in Punjab. While empty
berths on any train of the Indian Railways are invariably allocated to any
passenger without a confirmed reservation (Reservation against
cancellation, RAC, or wait listed) or on a first come first served basis by the
coach attendants, a special reservation for the Baba is actually made for him
and his berth left empty for the entire journey to his home town every year
with other soldiers accompanying "him" so as to reach him till his home. A
small sum of money is also contributed by soldiers posted in Nathula to be
sent to his mother each month.
46. There are also stories of soldiers discovering that he visited the camps at
night, used the bedclothes and boots in his room and on that can be found in
various social network posts about him. It has also been claimed that the
regiment still keeps an empty bed and other items of daily use. Some
sources suggest that he continues to draw a major's salary every month till
date.
The carpeted central room in the shrine is occupied by a brass bust and large
framed portraits of the young soldier. The complex is manned by barefooted
uniformed personnel from the nearby army unit who do the droll drill-
polishing an array of baba's boots, cleaning his uniforms, making his bed
and shuttling his portrait between the bedroom and office. The soldiers
insist they find the bed linen crumpled and the boots muddy.
47. These legends only seem to add to the aura of the 'immortal' soldier, with
devotees - both military and civil - thronging his shrine. They leave behind
offerings of water in sealed bottles with names inscribed, which are
collected after a week-the time baba is believed to take to purify them.
He has defeated dead. Believe it or not but it is true, one of its kind of story
in the world- a man from an Indian army in a Nathula border is still doing
his duty even after his death some three decades back.
60km from Gangtok towards the panoramic view of the Nathula landscape a
road leads towards the valley of Kupup. Here is the shrine of Baba
Harbhajan popularly known as Baba Mandir. Baba Harbhajan has been
guarding the international boundary of the two Asian giants, the China and
India over the last three decades.
48. Search for Sepoy Harbhajan was made with no results it was on the fifth
day of the missing, his colleague Pritam Singh had a dream of Harbhajan
Singh informing him of his tragic incident and his dead body being found
under the heap of snows.
Pritam Singh ignored the dream as just as an imagination but later when the
body of Sepoy Harbhajan Singh was found at the spot where Harbhajan
Singh had informed the army official was taken aback and to mark respect
and towards his wish a samadhi was constructed near Chhokya Chho.
Baba Harbhajan Singh warns the dangerous activities on the border through
the dreams of fellow army men. Even Chinese army men believe to have
seen a human figure doing patrolling in the night across the border.
49. Flying officer Nirmal Jit
Singh Sekhon
He was the only person from Indian air force
to be awarded the Param Vir Chakra.
It was his immediate response and a brave
fight that led to the abortion of the
enemies' bombing run on Srinagar airfield
during the Indo pak war of 1971.
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he
was serving with the No. 18 Squadron, "The
Flying Bullets" of IAF, flying the Folland
Gnat fighter aircraft based at Srinagar.
On 14 December 1971, Srinagar airfield was
attacked by sixPakistan Air Force F-
86 Sabre jets of 26 Sqn from PAF base
Peshawar. Flying Officer Sekhon was on
readiness duty at that time.
As soon as the first aircraft attacked, Sekhon
rolled for take-off as No 2 in a two-Gnat
formation, with Flt Lt Ghumman in lead, just
as the first bombs were falling on the runway.
50. Sekhon took off in spite of the danger
from the enemy jets which were
strafing the runway.
Fighting alone, he managed to hit two
of the enemy air-crafts in a fierce
dogfight. He secured hits on one
aircraft and set another on fire. By this
time the other Sabre aircraft came to
the aid of their hard-pressed
companions and Flying Officer
Sekhon's Gnat was again
outnumbered, this time by four to
one.
Even though alone, Flying Officer
Sekhon engaged the enemy in an
unequal combat. In the fight that
followed, at treetop height, he almost
held his nerves, but was eventually
overcome by the sheer weight of
numbers. His aircraft crashed and he
53. 'Ask shamelessly, be empathetic'
"I don't want to make a list only
because I'm a woman and a
minority.”
"As an entrepreneur, I am just
starting out and have a long way to
go. But in the future, I don't want to
hear of women entrepreneurs as a
category at all.”
Entrepreneur Ashwini Ashokan
talks about her early struggles as an
entrepreneur and what it means to
be a woman in a man's world.
54. I left Silicon Valley to come to India to start an AI company with my
husband; I am a woman co-founder of an Artificial Intelligence company
and I don't write a single line of code. And I wear this story on my sleeve
to tell everyone to back off with their stereotypes," says Ashwini Asokan
of Mad Street Den (MSD).
As a woman in technology who doesn't code, a mother of two and
married to her co-founder, Ashwini is vocal about what is the need of the
hour as regards women in start-ups, and how women need to take charge.
Not one to just say what needs to be done but lead by example, Ashwini
had some great inputs to share.
In a candid chat she spoke about her life, challenges and women in tech.
Here are some excerpts:
55. Growing up
Chennai is home to Ashwini.
As a trained classical dancer and musician she travelled around the country
performing between the ages of 14-21.
Knowing that she would be an artist she barely attended college.
However, her dad had other ideas and insisted she do a masters in Interaction
Design.
Interestingly, her thesis at Carnegie Mellon was on movement grammars,
exploring how cultural forms of dance can help us think about how we design
movement into our robots and other digital agents.
"My entire life has been spent building on the threads that run through dance,
music, design, computers, people, culture and I owe all that to one man -- my
dad.
"Somehow, he seems to know everything about everything," says Ashwini.
Her mother is the backbone of the family and a doting grandmother who is
unmatched in her child care skills to her kids.
56. Interesting, right?
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