A Million moments

“Warriors of Sun and snow”, I read it at an Indian army post located at an undisclosable location on my way to Bum-La & decided that this will be the title of a blog that I planned to write on the heroics of Indian army & the war memorials I visited on this trip. This is a different blog in the Arunachal series. It does not take you through another scenic destination and travel story like others. It is the story of the extra ordinarily brave souls that fought till their last breath & others who guard us to this day. During my visit to Arunachal, I visited 3 war memorials and read and heard about the heroics of our soldiers during the Sino Indian war of 1962 on the North-Eastern front in NEFA. While, our political leadership believed that the CCP is our brethren and would not go against our interest and equally value the panchasheel treaty, the on-ground reality was very much different. The McMahon line those days was sparsely patrolled given the harsh weather conditions and difficult terrain. The infrastructure was non existent for a specific reason that it will make it difficult for the CCP army (PLA) to enter and capture our land. The repeated requests of Indian army to set up posts across the McMahon line were rejected hastily. PLA being in an advantageous position started attacking the Indian positions and thus the war begun.

The PLA were well equipped with winter protective gear and much advanced AKs and other LMGs supported with Artillery while most of our Indian troops even lacked basic winter clothing. We were equipped with WWII era bolt action rifles like the .303 rifle (Lee-Enfield) & Sten carbines. Logistics which decide the course of any war was inexistent. Movement of troops was majorly by foot with limited jeeps. Many equipment like artillery and mortars that could not be taken along during retreats & many which could not be destroyed fell into the Chinese hands. Indian army had to retreat below Bomdila to save & gather the resources to mount the attacks.

Despite all of the odds, our men fought till their last breath. Subedar Joginder Singh PVC (P) was posted at an outpost near Bum-La with a platoon from 1 Sikh leading it. After decimating the 7^th Brigade at Namak Chu with repeated wave of attacks the PLA turned to Bum-La as this ancient route connects Tawang with Lhasa in Tibet. They first attacked with a strength of 200 but were mowed down by Joginder Singh’s platoon. The Chinese mounted a second attack and it too went in vain but by this time the platoon was reduced to half and ammunition nearing its end. By then Joginder Singh was injured. He refused  evacuation and decided to fight it out with his remaining men. They charged with nothing but Bayonets towards the sea of Chinese soldiers gushing towards them. Every single one of them fought till the end and decimated as many as they could. Subedar Joginder Singh PVC (P) himself despite being gravely wounded ended up killing 50+ Chinese troops (unconfirmed data). But alas he was over-powered and taken in as POW where he breathed his last. A memorial is built to honor his and the platoon’s bravery even when they were out-numbered. He was awarded posthumously the Param Vir Chakra (highest war time gallantry award).

Another legendary story is of Rifleman (later Honorary Captain) Jaswant Singh Rawat MVC (P). By early November after Tawang fell into Chinese hands, they further advanced southwards from multiple directions to cut off Indian army’s retreat routes and ambush them. The Chinese reached Nuranang Bridge where A company of 4^th Battalion of Garhwal rifles was posted. The company tried to hold off the attack but after defending against multiple waves they were ordered to retreat to Sela pass. Official records say that Rifleman Jaswant Singh laid down his life while returning to his trenches after successfully silencing a Chinese MMG and bringing it back to his location. But the real story starts from this point on the timeline. The strength of A Company had reduced to almost half and with depleting ammunition they decided to retreat to Sela pass and rendezvous with other company guarding it. But Jaswant Singh decided to stay back and hold of the enemy as long as possible giving precious time to his company and others. Legend & local folklore says that he along with 2 girls Sela and Nora set up multiple positions along the post and fired at the oncoming enemy soldiers while running between one position to another. The Chinese believed that they were facing an entire company for 3 days & lost more than 300 troops until they captured a local mule who revealed the truth. They were furious and attacked the post arrested Nora and killed Sela. Sela pass is named after this girl to honor her sacrifice. The final moments of Jaswant Singh are unclear while some say he killed himself with the last bullet & the Chinese beheaded him and took his head as bounty with them, while others say he was taken POW & then hanged. There are also unmarked mass Chinese graves at the Jaswanth Garh Memorial. what hint at After the war, it is said that the Chinese returned his head and acknowledged his bravery by providing a bronze bust along with it. But it is also said that he was last found near a tree where a memorial stands in honor of this brave soldier. He was considered to be still in service and received timely promotions and was retired as a Honorary Captain.

There are many such stories where men gave up their lives without thinking about self. Such stories can be felt and read at the Tawang war memorial dedicated to every soldier who laid down his life for this land. There is a light and sound show that happens throughout the day depending on the number of tourists. It is a must watch. In the memorial you can see how the Chinese advance started and how they out flanked Indian army resulting in a retreat to Bomdila. It also mentions how India began pushing the Chinese forces and re-captured Sela pass up to the point where CCP declared unilateral cease fire and retreated to pre-war positions. The war memorial also has a dedicated place with busts of soldiers who played exceptional role during the course of war.

Readers, there is nothing free in this world. Every thing is paid for. Mine and every other Indian’s freedom is paid by the last breath of every soldier that fell on his/her line of duty. We should respect it and not abuse it. There are many men who never returned. To this day it is not known what happened with them like 2/Lt Vinod Kumar Goswamy VrC who was probably 21 or 22 years old when he led his men to observe a Chinese post and decided to sneak into the post but was unsuccessful. Sepoy S Joseph VrC (P) from Army Medical Corps who sacrificed his life to save an injured officer’s life. Another story of Subedar Bhab Bahadur Katwal VrC from the fierce 9 Gorkha rifles who along with his 15 men mounted an attack on an enemy gun that was blocking the retreat of rest of the troops. Despite being gravely wounded after Tsangdhar fell on 21^st October. To this day all 16 are missing and we never got to know what happened with him. It is not just this war, there are many occasions where our men have gone missing. Read about the “Missing 54”.

All gave some, Some gave all…

Whenever you visit any forward area do research about the war memorials and visit them. They are present at every border we have…

The Indian flag flutters not because of the wind but from the last breath of every soldier who laid down their lives protecting this land…