Sepoy
Harbhajan Singh of the 23rd
Battalion of the Punjab Regiment resides in a small cluster of buildings
set in a breathtakingly beautiful valley, a short way from Sikkim's famed
Nathula pass. The dutiful soldier takes two months off a year to visit his
parents in Kuke village in Punjab's Kapurthala district. Well, would we read this further, so many
sepoys – standing brave at our borders protecting us from all misery – yet most
of us do not care much .. .. .. Harbhajan is different, for he is a hero,
worthy of being worshipped in a Temple !
On
June 16, it became public information that Indian troops had entered the Doklam
region near the Chumbi Valley tri-junction area wedged between Bhutan, India
and Tibet/China, and stopped a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
construction crew from completing the hard-surfacing of an earlier dirt track.
The Doklam plateau is one of the disputed territories between Bhutan and China.
It is closely opposite Sikkim and slightly north of the narrow Siliguri
corridor connecting the mainland territory of India to its seven northeastern
states and region. Bhutan and China do not have formal diplomatic relations.
Despite that, the two states have held a number of meetings to resolve their
boundary differences inclusive of the Doklam area, without any resolution so
far.
The beautifully and
clean Sikkim is far different and more strategic ~ the only Organic State is a
beautiful tourist location and one has to see the cleanliness to believe that a
place could be so neat and tidy. Besides beautiful scenic spots, it also has – ‘Nathula
Pass’ once a major corridor of passage between India and Tibet before it was
closed in 1962. Located around 56 kms from Gangtok at an altitude of 14450 ft,
the road to Nathula passes through the Tsomgo lake. It is one of the
highest motorable roads in the world and is richly surrounded by alpine flora.
Tourists are allowed to go close to the international border from where you can
see Chinese soldiers at a handshaking distance on the other side of the barbed wire.
A part of the
Eastern Himalaya, Sikkim is notable for its biodiversity, including alpine and
subtropical climates, as well as being a host to Kanchenjunga, the highest peak
in India and third highest on Earth. The Kingdom of Sikkim was founded on the
Silk Road by the Namgyal dynasty in the 17th century. It was ruled by a
Buddhist priest-king known as the Chogyal. It became a princely state of
British India in 1890. After 1947, Sikkim continued its protectorate status
with the republic of India. It enjoyed the highest literacy rate and per capita
income among Himalayan states. In 1975, the Indian military deposed the
Sikkimese monarchy. A referendum in 1975 led to Sikkim joining India as its
22nd state.
Nathu La ( नाथू ला) is a mountain pass
in the Himalayas. It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China's Tibet
Autonomous Region. The pass, at 4,310 m (14,216 ft) above mean sea level would
make us gasp for breathe and realize the hardship of being there. The 80 odd steps to the Indo-China checkpost
at such altitude makes you feel the wind, velocity, chillness and difficulty
that our soldiers brave daily. Citizens
of India can visit the pass, after
obtaining a permit and we were lucky
enough to be there in June 2017. Sealed
by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, Nathu La was re-opened in 2006
following numerous bilateral trade agreements. The opening of the pass shortens
the travel distance to important Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the
region and was expected to bolster the economy of the region by playing a key
role in the growing Sino-Indian trade.
This post is not on
escalating tensions, China’s unbridled aggression, mocking attempts at
International level, Gangtok’ cleanliness, its scenic beauty or tourism but on
a great soldier revered by the Indians. Major
"Baba" Harbhajan Singh (30 August 1946 – 4 October 1968) is acclaimed
"Hero of Nathula" by soldiers of the Indian army, who have built a
shrine in his honour. He was accorded the status of saint by believers who
refer to him as the "Baba" (saintly father). Many of his faithful -
chiefly Indian army personnel posted in and around the Nathula Pass and the
Sino-Indian border between the state of Sikkim and Chinese-occupied Tibet -
have come to believe his spirit protects every soldier in the inhospitable
high-altitude terrain of the Eastern Himalayas. Harbajhan Baba is believed to grant favours to those who
revere and worship him.
His indomitable
spirit still guards the post and protects Indian soldiers, that is what the
soldiers posted at Nathu La firmly believe.
Late Sepoy Harbhajan Singh (23 Punjab) was born in a village in
Kapurthala District and enrolled into the Punjab Regiment. Serving with his
unit in Sikkim in 1968, he passed away on October 4 that year while escorting a
mule column from Tuku La to Dongchui La.
After his death, he is believed to have appeared in the dreams of his fellow
soldiers and asked them to build a ‘samadhi’ for him. His unit did so 9 km from
where the present shrine stands. Units
of the Indian Army that are posted in the region, seek Baba’s blessing with
various plates dedicated to him lining the shrine’s walls. They also believe that
Baba will warn them of an impending attack days in advance. The Army even
promoted him to an Honorary Captain and a paycheck was sent to his family. He is
granted an annual leave on 14 September
every year. His belongings travel all
the way to Kapurthala and back by train for a few more years, till he
officially retired !!
So revered is he,
that even the Chinese on the other side of the border leave a seat vacant for Baba as a sign of respect at flag
meetings. People and soldiers passing through make it a point to pay their
respects at the shrine. Clearly faith is stronger than anything else here. When baba visits home on September 13 every
year, he has a berth booked on the Dibrugarh Express - his portrait and
suitcase are accompanied by three soldiers right up to his village where his
family greets it with fanfare.
You may feel this
defying reasons and the shrine a strange one – but it is all about belief – and
the army men too strongly believe that they still get the strength to cope up
with the adversities peculiar to the snowy hilly unfriendly region. I felt happy and
proud in visiting the shrine and bowing there in reverence as a mark of
gratitude and respect to the great soldier.
It is innumerable faceless jawans who protect us, braving most unkind
weather and hostile elements – we do not even understand the lurking dangers,
sleep happily, live happily .. we are ever indebted to our jawans. Long live the brave warriors – long live
happily their families.
Jai Jawan ~ Jai Hind – saluting the
spirit of Baba Harbajhan Singh **
With regards &
reverence
S. Sampathkumar
19th Aug
2017.
Jai Jawan ~ Jai Hind – saluting the spirit of Baba Harbajhan Singh.
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