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Dead man talking

27/5/2012

43 Comments

 
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Not in my wildest dreams had I imagined that driving across a frozen mountain pass at 13,714 feet, one cold, grey afternoon, I would come face to face with a young soldier. Who would teach me a lesson for life. That a soldier doesn’t die when a bullet whips into his head, piercing his woolen balclava. He doesn’t die when he falls before an enemy machine gun, staining the snow with his warm blood. Or even when he is left to merge with the elements on a barren mountain pass. It is only when we forget their acts of bravery that soldiers die. And, though we have killed many that way, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat is one of the few who live on.

 At the treacherous heights of the Sela pass (on the Indo-China border), a perennial mist envelops the bends in the road and a deep silence permeates the lonely mountain. This is  where unprepared Indian soldiers fought a war with the Chinese in November, 1962, in freezing temperatures, wet shoes and thin sweaters (thanks to unworthy commanders - which is such a disgusting story that we’re not going there at all). On the pass stands a lone shrine called Jaswantgarh that holds the memories of Rifleman Jaswant, Maha Vir Chakra (posthumous) of 4 Garhwal Rifles.

 Those who want to see Jaswant make a rather long journey through the forests of Arunachal with orchids drooping down from lush green trees. Then going across the claustrophobic Tenga valley, they climb the winding path to Bomdila and drive down to beautiful Dhirang. Then up again, passing pink-cheeked babies with running noses strapped onto their mothers’ backs, they cross the tankha-adorned, mist-blurred ‘Welcome to Tawang’ gate. Finally they circle the frozen Sela lake and get onto a narrow 12-foot track cut into fallen snow and  reach Jaswantgarh.

 This is where rifleman Jaswant Singh was shot by the Chinese when he attempted to stop their intrusion with just three hand grenades in his pocket. Foolhardy thing to do but young heroes in uniform do this kind of stuff all the time. His worldly possessions are kept in a small room with a narrow, neatly made bed. A fresh towel, an HMT watch on a side table, a cheap plastic framed mirror, a pair of shoes and an old woolen cap riddled with bullet holes, all that Jaswant left behind is right there. Actually, it doesn't look like he has left either. His linen goes for a routine wash, his towel is changed regularly and soldiers who polish his shoes claim that they are often found covered with mud, a sign that he has been walking around at night. The myth goes that convoys in blizzards have seen Jaswant directing the vehicles through the treacherous bends. Eight promotions have come to him after death and Jaswant is now a Captain. The hefty sardars of the Sikh regiment stationed there get him the first thali of steaming hot food from the langar. And men sitting with AK 47s draw warmth not just from their Old Monk rum but also his reassuring presence.

 For nearly an hour, I sit in his room and read the letters that have come to him. They talk about family problems, unemployment, failed crops, land disputes, poverty, lost promotions, life threatening illnesses. The list of sadness is endless. A young boy is desperate for job, a soldier’s wife is childless, a farmer has lost his only son. There are invitations to weddings and ‘namkaran’ ceremonies, prayers, wishes and pleas for help. Mail has been coming to Jaswantgarh for years. It comes from people seeking inspiration to live, strangely enough, from a dead man. A big mountain dog sleeping there, twitches an eyebrow at my presence. "Relax! All is well. Go back to sleep," I tell him and he obediently shuts his eyes again. A Sikh Subedar Sahab potters around, happy to have some company. “Sometimes months pass before we see a new face,” he says, offering us tea and hot pakodas. We chat for a while and then it’s time to go.

 In the hassle of putting together scarves, caps, gloves and cameras and ensuring the kid has used the loo one last time, I forget to say a final goodbye to the soldier with whom I seem to share a bond and a last name. The car is moving, we have a long way to go and I can’t be a sentimental fool and insist I have to go back, if only for a minute. I bite my lip and look out of the window. We are crossing a lone signboard buried in the snow. “When you go home, tell them of us and say. For your tomorrow, we gave our today,” it says.  Might have been a trick of the mind but leaning against it, I see a slim Garhwali soldier with a smile crinkling his brown eyes. He is looking straight at me. On his head there is a woolen balclava riddled with bullet holes. “Yes Jaswant I'll tell them that. You just live forever!” I mumble as the car takes a turn and he disappears around the bend. 


Balclava is a woolen cap


War citation
On 17 November 1962, 4 Garhwal Rifles was occupying a defensive position near the Nuranang Bridge in NEFA. Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat’s company was subjected to a series of attacks by the Chinese force. Jaswant Singh and two other men volunteered to go and destroy the enemy Medium Machine Gun position. They crawled forward and within 15 yards of the gun, hurled grenades on it killing two Chinese and badly wounding the others. Jaswant Singh then snatched the Medium Machine Gun and started to return to his position. The enemy opened automatic fire from close range. Jaswant Singh was hit in the head and died on the spot still holding the Medium Machine Gun. For the exceptional courage and initiative shown by Rifleman Jaswant Singh he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.
 

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Jaswant's room
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That's Jaswant Garh on the Sela pass
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Letters seeking hope
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The frozen Sela lake that you have to go around to reach Jaswant Garh
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The long and winding road to Jaswant Garh
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The board he wanted me to tell you about
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This is to show you just how unprepared soldiers were to fight the '62 war. Many didn't even have proper jackets and boots in those freezing temperatures.
43 Comments
RITEN
27/5/2012 06:01:11 pm

In your opening para,you have summed up all that the entire veteran
fraternity has been trying to say.For those of us,who have transited thru Jaswantgarh always paying our tribute in silence cannot help wondering how the soldiers are so confident of his presence.The myth goes that convoys in blizzards have seen Baba Jaswant directing the vehicles through the treacherous bends.Yes, the legend lives on as a mark of valour.Hats off to you Rachna for bringing home a wonderful account.Truth surely is stranger than fiction.

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ather
27/5/2012 09:18:48 pm

I too was moved by this eerie yet powerful tale narrated in a compelling style that is a mark of your writing Rachna. Words more than bullets are the ammunition of today and you have a veritible artillery at your disposal. I loved the line: It is only when we forget their acts of bravery that soldiers die. Magnificent- and so true. You have ensured that this legacy lives on.

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Subodh
28/5/2012 05:45:02 am

and, you sure did communicate the message in a very touching and elegant manner. I can't think of a better service to the mankind than keeping alive the memory of the fallen. Coincidently, it comes to us on the Memorial Day.

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Jhoomar
28/5/2012 02:47:45 pm

I look forward to your posts and they never fail to impress....great job!
Look forward to the next one on the south east asia travel, and even more, from the Roopkund trek.

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Noopur
28/5/2012 05:01:16 pm

left a lump in my throat ...hats off, to the men in green and the sacrifices they have made, love the hauntingly beautiful pictures too !

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RITEN
28/5/2012 06:41:37 pm

An afterthought but Rachna,the title"Dead Man Talking or Walking",
I consider a bit inappropriate.A spade is a spade,but Courage is a
contradiction in terms.It is a strong urge to live taken in the form of a readiness to die.I know you mean good,but The written word........

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Anju
29/5/2012 01:19:41 am

Bow to our Brave Soldiers .
The last para was specially moving and i find myself reading it over n over again .Wonderful pictures too ...Beautifully written in your inimitable style ..

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Prithvi
29/5/2012 01:35:45 am

Very touching tribute Rachna. These heroes will indeed live forever.

I also liked the description of locale - seems like I just made a trip to Sela pass !

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JASWANT
14/2/2013 07:27:33 pm

i kow it very well dude...... i am grown up listening his stories...its main reason could that my father was from army.

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Julie
29/5/2012 03:34:18 am

Just lovely ..z

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Pushpa Bhandari Bisht
29/5/2012 05:06:58 am

Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of the 4th Garhwal Rifles, this blog brings a touching tribute to you by the daughter and wife of a fellow soldier. Somebody, was it General Douglas MacArthur, said - old soldiers never die; they just fade away. Here is a frontline soldier who made the supreme sacrifice and survived it all --- myth, superstition, folklore with his boots intact. I simply loved the lines you wrote “ That a soldier doesn’t die when a bullet whips into his head, piercing his woollen balclava. He doesn’t die when he falls before an enemy machine gun, staining the snow with his warm blood. Or even when he is left to merge with the elements on a barren mountain pass. It is only when we forget their acts of bravery that soldiers die.” So true.
It is way past midnight and I’ve read the moving story twice. I scroll over the pictures for the umpteenth time, feel a sting of tears when I look at the one that says ‘ Letters seeking hope’. Then I freeze at the last one. My Dad too fought that war. High altitude (an understatement actually for a combat that took place 14,000 feet high !), harsh conditions and a brave heart for an armour. Thank you for capturing that board with:
WHEN YOU GO HOME
TELL THEM OF US AND SAY
FOR YOUR TOMORROW WE GAVE OUR TODAY.

I think this poem by Kelly Strong belongs to your blog ----

Freedom Is Not Free

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Airman saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform,
So young, so tall, so proud;
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
He stood out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him,
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many fox holes were soldiers graves?
No freedom is not free.

I heard Taps sound one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugle play,
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times,
Taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had covered a coffin,
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children
Of the mothers and the wives.
Of the fathers, sons, and husbands,
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard,
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves at Arlington.
No, Freedom Is Not Free!
- Kelly Strong

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Swapnil
15/2/2015 09:55:47 pm

One of the best poems I have ever read and I feel I ever will. Thanks forsharing this mam.

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Deepak gera
29/5/2012 02:20:01 pm

...haqeekat afsaano se jyada vichitra hai...

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Y S Rawat
30/5/2012 06:16:07 pm

Beautifully written Rachna. Unfortunately, I have not been able to go on this pilgrimage so far, will make it soon.

In deed soldiers do not die, they live in the mind and heart of not only their near and dear ones but also of millions of grateful countrymen. Behind one Jaswant Singh, there are hundreds other who also sacrificed but remain unsung. We bow to all of them. The image of soldiers has been built over a period of decades by single minded dedication and devotion to the profession of arms and unquestionable loyalty to the country and the country men. Unfortunately of late most people perhaps cannot differential between loyalty and psycho fancy.

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chotu
30/5/2012 10:14:29 pm

Great job and well written. Touching

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Ritha
30/5/2012 10:54:54 pm

A salute to Jaswanth Singh! And a salute to the people who have kept him alive. Lovely tale full of right things, wonderful pictures too. Keep writing more of military stories for people like me who are totally oblivious of the "real" military life.

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Ritha
30/5/2012 10:56:33 pm

Btw, is there any reason why you have taken the picture of the statue from behind and not from front?

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rachna
31/5/2012 02:34:21 am

shameful confession: i didn't have a powerful first pic for the blog (i felt) and stole this and the road loops pic from the net. photographer's name is on it. it gives a feel of the terrain and the tilt of his head suggests he is looking at the valley. didn't you like it?

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Ritha
4/6/2012 09:02:40 pm

I liked the photo, was just curious why this angle :)

BIG B JB
1/6/2012 02:52:18 pm

Soldiers never die they just fade away...its a story of valour and faith...People have faith on Jashwant's valour so till date He is alive in the heart of common people......its a lesson for young and new generation that how our great soldiers have died to save their motherland.....very well written...very touchy.....and emotional....

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cecilia
2/6/2012 03:29:04 pm

Dear Rachna, We army wives see and hear stories of army men so often, it is nice to see someone say these stories.

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RAJAN
19/8/2012 12:26:46 pm

Last year I have visited tawang and war memorial of Jaswanthji and paid the heart felt tributes to him in fact while reading story about the great soldier my eyes were filled and tears rolled down.I felt the presence of Mahavir Jaswantji when I salute him.Thank you very much Rachanaji.I would like to contact you ...!my mail rajanrose@gmail.com,cell 09447781010

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Col Bhatia
25/8/2012 04:24:38 pm

Just one word for the article-
EXCELLENT

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mona
12/9/2012 07:11:58 pm

Beautifully written Rachu...you just bring the whole story alive...i can see and feel all the words...Felt as if i just made that tough trip !! My Salute to all the soldiers who face the toughest conditions to serve their country !!
Just to share , there's one more such shrine near Nathula Pass at China border in Sikkim... though the Baba did not go down fighting the enemies...but still has a similar following...just a brief about that...Captain "Baba" Harbhajan Singh (August 3, 1941 – October 4, 1968) was an Indian army soldier who died near the Nathula Pass in eastern Sikkim, India. He is revered by the soldiers of the Indian army, who have built a shrine in his honour. Baba is to have granted favours to the soldiers, and guard each one in the inhospitable terrain.... We visited this place and were surprised the way he is worshiped by the soldiers !!
Loved the beautiful poem posted by Mrs Pushpa Bisht !!

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Rama Shankar Soni
20/10/2012 08:42:10 pm

I believe in god And I am Proud of an Army Man Baba Jaswant Singh Rawat

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Raghunath Nautiyal
1/5/2013 02:52:25 pm

Great contry .brave solders.i proud my garhwal.

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Ajay singh link
7/5/2013 01:57:49 am

Lovely want to see at least once in my life the brave Jaswantgarh...

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Rachna
7/5/2013 08:34:12 pm

Thanks for leaving a comment. If the will is there I'm sure you'll go sometime

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jaideep ranswal link
4/11/2013 02:03:38 pm

uttarakhand ka beer jawan jug-jug tak amar ranya tum
i salute sir baba jashwant

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birendra
10/2/2014 12:31:29 pm

My name is birendra .and im from uttarakhand .a land of warrior where the brave soldier of indian army born.please tell me the address of my god baba JASWANT SINGH.if u know .

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Tanuja Chaturvedi
20/10/2014 09:14:52 pm

Had gone to Jaswantgarh this May. Your words were evocative and haunting. Jaswant ji stll stays in our hearts.
You need to see that tough terrain to really understand his valour, as well as of Gusain sahab and Negi sahab.
Wonderful. Keep me in the loop for more.
I am in Media. Really hoping and praying to bring Jaswant ji's story Alive for all our countrymen. Will need the Army's support totally.

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LILA GIRI GOSWAMI
13/12/2014 05:30:23 pm

REALY GRATE MAN

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ANIL SINGH
13/12/2014 05:31:38 pm

BRAVE MAN OF HILL

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Heera singh Rawat
13/2/2015 09:18:55 pm

Don't know what to write but know only that god gave birth to tiger like you after millon of years. We can never compare your tribute. All Indians will always debatable to you. Not in words you prove ourselves in doing so. Feeling glad to be a uttrakhandi and our motherland uttrakhand will always Gave birth to tigers like you for mother India and its prestige...... Constable Heera Singh Rawat. Cisf unit blsm bhawanathpur. Currently deputation to Nsg. (From Kotdwara. Uttrakhand)

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Trishul
4/4/2015 06:55:35 pm

achilles of india....

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Vikram Sood
7/5/2015 04:45:09 pm

Salute & homage to the Gallant Soldiers. They r Our True Heroes. Prayers. Few words can explain their bravery, to the fullest. This article is truly inspiring & the Supreme act of Bravery by RifleMan Jaswant Singh, is unparallel. Humble homage is what I can say, as I salute this brave soldier with all my humility. No words to express my feeling for his Pinnacle act of Sacrifice. Salute..

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Maya Negi
16/5/2015 02:05:22 pm

Salute to the brave soul.....

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Monsum Mukherjee
17/5/2015 12:16:29 am

I have visited Tawang either from Bomdila , Tezpur or Itanagar multiple times. And each time on our way or back by State Govt. vehicle we have always stopped to pay our homage and reverence to the hero, Baba Jaswant Singh . I always loved to spend some time in the solitude of Jaswantgarh. Salute all who have laid down their lives to keep our nation safe. Salute and my heartiest support to all defense personals who spend their nights awake to provide the Bharatiya citizens a safe and secured life

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deepak rawat
17/8/2015 05:31:09 pm

Salute to great jawan of garhwal rif

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Shekhar P. Sinha link
26/8/2015 05:26:51 pm

A soldier never betrays his nation, his people and himself.

I say " Maa Tujhe Salaam " to all the mother's of great soldier's.

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YATIN
15/1/2016 01:18:31 am

Salute to Shri Jashwant Singh and eventually he belongs to my place Uttarakhand.

Jai Baba Ji

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Awadesh Vashist
26/1/2016 10:11:16 pm

This blog left me misty eyed. It is very well written and captures the emotion of many like me.

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Prashant Badiger link
22/9/2016 11:25:28 pm

Hello Rachna Madam,

I thoroughly liked the book – The Brave on Paramvir chakra awardee soldiers. Immensely inspiring, this book has compelled me to think about the soldiers who lay dead fighting in deserts and icy mountains. Among the heroes, Rifle man Jaswant Singh Rawat was one of the them. Sadly he was deprived of Paramvir Chakra. He was a real Rambo, a one man army against thousands of Chinese soldiers. Your article on this brave hero helped me to craft his story in my words.
Are you going to write the second part of your book – The Brave? Please do cover the stories of soldiers who were not awarded the Paramvir chakra. I am looking forward to read 1965 too.

My article on Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat - https://prashantb.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/the-unsung-hero-of-1962-war-rifleman-jaswant-singh-rawat/

Regards
Prashant Badiger

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    Rachna Bisht Rawat is a full time mom and part time writer. She is married to an Army officer whose work takes the family to some of the most interesting corners of India.

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