Salute the REAL HEROES of the Nation - Col. Narendra KUmar

We  adore Cine heroes, Cricketers, politicians but do not know much about our History and the real Heroes who guard our Nation.  Students must only be reading about the real heroes in Text books ! and the real history, struggle of the Nation including colonial oppression and how we got freedom.  Ever heard of Narendra Kumar ?

 

Earlier it was known as  Purig ~   the  Suru River,  a 185 kilometres (115 mi) long river, that originates from the Panzella glacier enriches it – it is the place in news and apt to be remembered by the entire Nation especially on – 26th July !  For those who feel Chennai is cold in December – life is far far different ! . .. its  landscape is mountainous, rugged, and high, the minimum elevation being some 8,000 feet (2,440 metres). The climate is cold and dry, with scanty precipitation that falls mainly as snow in winter. One locality, Dras (Drass), is reputed to be one of the world’s coldest permanently inhabited places, with winter temperatures falling to as low as −40 °F (−40 °C) or colder. Vegetation, mainly grasses and shrubs, is largely confined to river valleys at lower elevations, as the higher places are rocky and largely barren.  It is Kargil. 

The Siachen Glacier became a bone of contention following a vague demarcation of territories in the Karachi Agreement of July 1949 which did not exactly specify who had authority over the Siachen Glacier area. Indian interpretation was that Pakistan territory extended only to about the Saltoro Ridge, where the territorial line's route after the last demarcated Point NJ9842 was "thence north to the glaciers." Both Nations claimed the barren heights and the Siachen Glacier 

Colonel Narendra[a] Kumar, PVSM, KC, AVSM, FRGS (1933 –  2020) was a soldier par excellence and mountaineer. He is known for his expeditions across various mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and Karakorams, and respective subranges such as the Pir Panjals and Saltoro Mountains.  His reconnaissance efforts on the Siachen glacier were key to the Indian Army's reclamation of the forward posts of the glacier in Operation Meghdoot in 1984. He was the deputy leader of the first successful Indian Mount Everest expedition in 1965. 

Siachen Base Camp, 12,000 feet above sea level at Partapur, is a base camp of 102 Infantry Brigade (Siachen brigade) of XIV Corps of Indian Army which protects 110 km long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) with at least 108 forward military outposts and artillery observation posts in the disputed region of Siachen Glacier in Ladakh Union Territory of India. It is approximately 6 hours drive north from the town of Leh via one of the highest vehicle-accessible passes in the world, Khardung La at 17,582 feet. Bana Top (20,500 ft) is the highest post in the region, which requires 80 km and 20 day trek for troops. Pahalwan Post (about 20,000 ft) and posts near Indira Col (about 19,000 ft) are other high posts.  

Kumar Post or Kumar Base, named after the Colonel Narendra "Bull" Kumar, serves as the battalion head quarter located 60 km from the Siachen base towards Indira Col.  The base has helipads, a memorial for martyrs, medical unit etc and it is connected by a motorable road. India has significant tactical advantage as it occupies most of the higher peaks on the Saltoro Mountain Range in the western sector of Siachen and Pakistan Army hold posts only at lower heights of western slopes of the spurs of the Saltoro ridge. For the military operation, to ferry two people and their supplies, a minimum of 2–4 helicopter trips are required.    

Colonel Narendra Bull Kumar took expeditions to the Siachen area in 1978, 1982, 1983 and 1984 to scale Sia Kangri (24,350 feet) and Indira Col and Saltoro Kangri-I (25,400 feet), and skied to Bilafond La, Sia La and Turkistan La.  Operation Meghdoot was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces operation to take full control of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh. Executed on the morning of 13 April 1984 in the highest battlefield in the world, Meghdoot was the first military offensive of its kind. This operation preempted Pakistan's Operation Ababeel and was a success, resulting in Indian forces gaining control of the Siachen Glacier in its entirety.  

Currently, the Indian Army remains the first and only army in the world to have deployed tanks and other heavy ordnance at altitudes well over 5,000 meters. Up to ten infantry battalions each of the Indian Army and Pakistan Army are actively deployed at high altitudes of up to 6,400 meters throughout the region due to the present Siachen conflict.  

Narendra   Kumar was born in Rawalpindi, British India on 8 December 1933, in a Punjabi Hindu family.  He had three brothers and two sisters; he and his brothers joined the Indian Army. In 1947, he took part in the World Scout Jamboree to Paris at the age of 13, representing the then state of Punjab. He returned to a partitioned India. Most Muslims on his ship were de-boarded in Karachi while everyone else landed in Bombay. His parents had moved to Shimla after the partition of India. 

For his distinguished services, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, and the Arjuna Award, in 1965, for the first Indian Everest Expedition of 1965. He remains the only Colonel to have received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. He also received the Army's Kirti Chakra and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.  In 2010, he was presented the MacGregor Medal, by the United Service Institution of India, for his military reconnaissance and exploration efforts of remote Indian areas between 1978 and 1981. Kumar was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. 

The Indian Army's Siachen Battalion HQ in the Siachen Glacier is named as "Kumar Base" in his honour; the base is also a logistics forwarding post 

In 2004, the then President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam visited the base camp and spoke : Today I have visited Kumar, and the Siachen Battle School in Base Camp-1. When I was flying from Thoise to Kumar and back, I was witnessing the challenge of snowy terrain with fast winds. Now I am with you. Your Brigade has a tremendous responsibility for defending the Siachen Sector, in varied seasons under heavy snow fall and against incessant gun firings some times. Now I know the guns are silent. The 75 kms long, 2 to 4 kms wide Siachen glacier is of extreme geo-strategic importance where our Indira Pol meets POK and Aksai Chin.   A strong mind and physique is an asset for national security and provides leadership to high altitude battle. 

Nation realizes that you are encountering not one adversary but two. One across the border and the other the inhospitable nature. We recognize that you are fighting a battle at the highest altitude in the world. It is the duty of the nation to ensure your welfare and happiness and the happiness of your families at all times.  

 

On 26^th Sept 2024, our respected President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu visited Siachen Base Camp today and paid tributes at the Siachen War Memorial, which is a symbol of the sacrifice of soldiers and officers who have been martyred since the Indian Army began Operation Meghdoot on the Siachen Glacier on April 13, 1984. The President said that since the commencement of Operation Meghdoot in April 1984, the brave soldiers and officers of the Indian Armed Forces have ensured the security of this region. They face severe weather conditions. In difficult situations like heavy snowfall and minus 50 degrees temperature, they remain deployed at their front with full devotion and vigilance. They present extraordinary examples of sacrifice and tolerance in protecting the motherland. She told soldiers that all Indians are aware of their sacrifice and bravery and we respect them.

 

Salute our armed forces, special regards to those at Siachen and remember that great soldier - Colonel Narendra "Bull" Kumar
 
Regards to Indian Army – Jai Jawan
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
27.9.2024