Today the walk did not happen due
to a bad schedule, but the other part of “A walk to my Birthplace” continues –
the journey of thoughts and reflections.
While the nation celebrates illustrious
career of a sporting icon who started at 16, my mind went back to another one
who started his illustrious career at the age of 16.
When I visited the officers’ Mess
at Ladakh Scouts HQ in Leh, I came across a portrait of a local person in Army
Uniform. “Who is he?” I asked the commanding officer. “He is Chewang Rinchen –
India’s youngest recipient of Maha Vir Chakra (gallantry award give for supreme
valor) at the age of 17”. I consider myself fairly well-read but I had no clue
about this man. So this is the story of Chewang Rinchen whom we all should not
only know but revere!
Chewang, a local ladakhi boy
enrolled for Army at the age of 16. He was trained barely for 10 days when Pakistan
Army invaded state of Jammu & Kashmir. When the Indian Army sought
volunteers to defend Ladakh against Pakistani raiders, Rinchen, then a Class IX
student, opted. With the help of band of small volunteers and just 28 rifles,
Richen kept enemy at bay for weeks together. Mohammad Yusuf Ahidi, commander of
the Pakistani raiders, noted in his book Baltistan Par Ek Nazar: "If
Commander Chewang Rinchen had not foiled these attacks, we would have been
masters of...Ladakh."
Again at the age of 40 when
Rinchen was holding a rank of colonel, he took up his another battle with the
enemy. This time to free the land that
was forcefully occupied by Pakistan. Rinchen took a select band of soldiers and
traveled with minimum supplies so that they could move fast. He went on
capturing Pakistani outposts by using just a few grenades and bayonets. He and
his brave hearts used the enemy’s grocery and ammunition rather than carrying
heavy loads in those high altitude tough terrains – this was not only valor but
also supreme confidence in the strategy. He reclaimed 800 sq Km of land without
any casualties from his team! He was decorated with second Maha Vir Chakra.
Chewang Rinchen showed an amazing consistency in his valor with a debut on the
battle ground at 16 and scintillating
performance at 40!
The tragedy is, Rinchen is not
very well known in India for some reasons. He should be part of Indian folklore
and his stories should told to every child in India. It is important to
celebrate our real life heroes along
with those on sports fiend and celluloid. A nation’s character should be built
on pride for men like Chewang Rinchen.
Chewang Rinchen – THANK YOU. You
were Independent India’s first prodigy and we are proud of you. May be we need
to celebrate you more than we have ever done!
Wonderful
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