The Garhwal Regiment, raised in 1887, is 125 years old. Mayank Singh records his impressions as he watches a new batch of 150 recruits take oath to further the glorious tradition of valour of the regiment headquartered in the cantonment town of lansdowne
For 19-year-old Surendra Singh, this day is very special. The Garhwal Regiment recruit is one of 150 boys who are all set to join military duty. Not only that, he is, sword in hand, also leading the contingent of young soldiers as it marches to the rhythm of rousing martial music.
“It is a big day of my life,” says the lad, attired in a crisp olive green uniform and sporting a cap smartly tilted at an angle. “I wanted to serve my country and that dream is coming true on a day which marks the 125th anniversary of my regiment.”
Yes, Garhwal Regiment, headquartered in the quaint hill town of Lansdowne, has completed 125 years of service to the nation. Surendra is clearly enjoying being the cynosure of all eyes as an impressed crowd watches the marching boys in rapt attention.
Dahine dekh (eyes right), he shouts. All eyes instantly turn to the contingent. For these boys, this day will be forever etched in memory especially because it also happens to be the quasquicentennial of the regiment that they have now officially become a part of. They have taken oath to lay down their lives for the regiment and the nation, if the need arises.
Incidentally, the nation is also paying homage to the martyrs of the 1962 war with China. The bravery of Rifleman Jaswant Singh, who was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, is still on the minds of the people. He belonged to the Garhwal Regiment.
An area on the way to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh is called Jaswant Nagar, where a temple dedicated to the memory of the fallen Indian soldier still stands and receives obeisance from every army man who passes this way.
The history of the Garhwal Regiment, manned primarily by boys born and raised in the tough hilly terrain of Uttarakhand, is replete with tales of courage and endurance. One can see the innate toughness and confidence in the eyes and general demeanour of the boys that Surendra is leading today.
They have a glorious tradition to safeguard. The Garhwal Rifles Regiment has the distinction of participating in every war post-independence. And on every occasion that its soldiers have marched into battle, the regiment has made an impact.
Recruit Kuldeep Singh attributes his transformation from a simple village boy to a battle-ready infantryman to the rigorous training that every rookie receives at the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre perched on the beautiful and green hills of Lansdowne.
“I know that my job will be demanding and difficult but the training that I have received here has instilled the confidence that I can accomplish any task that I am given,” says Kuldeep. His self-assurance stems from the 34 gruelling weeks that he has spent at the centre, preparing himself for the challenges that lie ahead.
The Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre was established in the year 1887 to train boys from the hill areas of Garhwal region and raise a regiment. Boys from the area would earlier join the Gorkha Rifles or enrol in the Bengal and Punjab Regiments. The first unit of the regiment was raised on May 5, 1887 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel E. P. Meinwaring. Today it is a formidable regiment of 23 units.
In the First World War, the regiment lost 721 men. In World War II, 349 of its soldiers were martyred. Till date, the regiment has been bestowed with 30 battle honours, with five of them coming after India achieved independence.
While the 1962 India-China war is full of stories of valour displayed by the Garhwal Regiment troops, it went on to play a crucial role in the Kargil conflict. The most prominent of its triumphs was at Tiger Hill.
The regiment also has a special counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism capsule manned by soldiers especially trained for demanding field conditions in strife-torn parts of Kashmir and the Northeast.
Says Lieutenant General Syed Atta Hassnain: “Every soldier of this regiment is always ready to prove his mettle at every given opportunity. There is a need, however, to make every Indian aware of their sacrifice…”
Even before General Hassnain can complete his sentence, the war cry of the regiment, Jai Bhadravishal (Hail Bhadravishal), rents the air. It is a cry that charges up the soldiers of the regiment on the battlefield.
Three Victoria Crosses, one Ashok Chakra, four Maha Vir Chakras, 14 Kirti Chakras, 52 Vir Chakra and 46 Shaurya Chakra part of the list of medals that the soldiers have earned for this regiment. Behind every great battlefield effort has been this war cry.
The pride of being part of a glorious history has drawn officers and jawans from across the country, both serving and retired, to the 125th year celebrations. All of them spoke in one voice about the contribution that the regimental centre has made over the years to the boys and the nation.
The centre has evolved. Apart from military training, it also has rehabilitation and welfare cell which helps ex-soldiers and dependents of martyrs in the process of rehabilitation. The cell has been arranging the remarriage of war widows, providing them reemployment and houses, funding the education of children and paying pensions to dependent parents.
Mayank Singh
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