Memoir of Olympian Col. Balbir Singh Chronicles Hockey Journey and War Heroics
6 Oct 2024 2:03 PM IST
The Olympian was part of the Bronze medal winning team of the Indian hockey in the 1968 Olympics.
Guwahati: Decisive battle to capture Barki after the debacle of Khem Karan in the 1965 War and the Roopa Valley in Arunachal Pradesh set the backdrop of the memoir of veteran Olympian hockey player. Col (Retd) Balbir Singh traces his hockey roots to his debut in a tournament played in the Roopa Valley in Arunachal Pradesh with the Indian Army grooming the 20-year-old young debutant.
“The 11 Brigade Championships was won and the young man, still not officially enrolled into the Army, was the highest scorer. I was that young man who had reached the Roopa Valley in an army vehicle driven by Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh, the Brigade Commanding Officer, with Brigadier Prakash Singh Grewal, the Brigade Commander, sitting by his side,” Balbir Singh recalled in his memoir – An Olympian’s Tryst with Soldiering.
The Olympian was part of the Bronze medal winning team of the Indian hockey in the 1968 Olympics. The Arjuna Awardee had also coached the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams.
He paid rich tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh, who had been at the forefront of the 1962 and the 1965 wars with China and Pakistan respectively. “Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh was instrumental in inducting me to join 4 Sikh, formerly the 36th Sikh Saragarhi Battalion,” recalled Balbir Singh.
“After the Battle of Walong in 1962 against the Chinese, it required a herculean effort to get it (4 Sikh) back on the firm footing. The task of re-building the battalion into a well-knit team full of confidence and high morale was undertaken by Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh, the commanding officer,” added Balbir Singh.
The Battle of Walong in the easternmost village of Arunachal Pradesh had seen one of the fiercest battles in the 1962 War against China. “Under the leadership of Anant Singh, 4 Sikh was a fully trained and operationally fighting unit capable of undertaking any task when it was launched in the 1965 War. His mettle was amply proved as he decided to capture a formidable objective like Barki without tank and artillery support,” added Balbir Singh in his memoir.
The Olympian also recalled the war cry of Anant Singh in the 1965 War as he exhorted men with ‘each one of you is like a Centurian tank’.
The Olympian rued that valour of Anant Singh wasn’t recognised. “Mainly due to the Khem Karan debacle and no fault of the commanding officer, his valour went unrecognised…What a pity, Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh who got Barki, got nothing,” lamented Balbir Singh.
After the debacle in the battle of Khem Karan, Anant Singh was held captive by Pakistan. “Post the debacle of Khem Karan, Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh wrote a letter to his daughter when he was sitting at the back in a jeep and being taken to Lakhpat Rai Jail in Lahore. He had a premonition that he wouldn’t come back alive,” recalled Balbir Singh.
The veteran Olympian recalled his journey to the Roopa Valley near Bomdila in the Northeast. Giving an account of the region, Balbir Singh writes: “It was a long journey from Jalandhar (Punjab) to Missamari (Assam) and thence by road to Rupa along the foothill route since there were hardly any roads and the terrain was mountainous and forested.” The 4 Sikh battalion was stationed in the Rupa Valley, added Balbir Singh.
The Olympian recalled the keen interest taken by the Indian Army in fostering the Indian hockey team in years ahead of the inaugural 1928 Olympics.
“In 1928, the Indian hockey team embarked on a momentous journey, competing in their inaugural Olympics Games. Against all odds, they triumphed, capturing the coveted gold medal in their maiden appearance,” wrote Balbir Singh, adding that “extraordinary era of supremacy fetched India consecutive gold medals from 1928 to 1956 in the Olympics.
“The 11 Brigade Championships was won and the young man, still not officially enrolled into the Army, was the highest scorer. I was that young man who had reached the Roopa Valley in an army vehicle driven by Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh, the Brigade Commanding Officer, with Brigadier Prakash Singh Grewal, the Brigade Commander, sitting by his side,” Balbir Singh recalled in his memoir – An Olympian’s Tryst with Soldiering.
The Olympian was part of the Bronze medal winning team of the Indian hockey in the 1968 Olympics. The Arjuna Awardee had also coached the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams.
He paid rich tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh, who had been at the forefront of the 1962 and the 1965 wars with China and Pakistan respectively. “Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh was instrumental in inducting me to join 4 Sikh, formerly the 36th Sikh Saragarhi Battalion,” recalled Balbir Singh.
“After the Battle of Walong in 1962 against the Chinese, it required a herculean effort to get it (4 Sikh) back on the firm footing. The task of re-building the battalion into a well-knit team full of confidence and high morale was undertaken by Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh, the commanding officer,” added Balbir Singh.
The Battle of Walong in the easternmost village of Arunachal Pradesh had seen one of the fiercest battles in the 1962 War against China. “Under the leadership of Anant Singh, 4 Sikh was a fully trained and operationally fighting unit capable of undertaking any task when it was launched in the 1965 War. His mettle was amply proved as he decided to capture a formidable objective like Barki without tank and artillery support,” added Balbir Singh in his memoir.
The Olympian also recalled the war cry of Anant Singh in the 1965 War as he exhorted men with ‘each one of you is like a Centurian tank’.
The Olympian rued that valour of Anant Singh wasn’t recognised. “Mainly due to the Khem Karan debacle and no fault of the commanding officer, his valour went unrecognised…What a pity, Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh who got Barki, got nothing,” lamented Balbir Singh.
After the debacle in the battle of Khem Karan, Anant Singh was held captive by Pakistan. “Post the debacle of Khem Karan, Lieutenant Colonel Anant Singh wrote a letter to his daughter when he was sitting at the back in a jeep and being taken to Lakhpat Rai Jail in Lahore. He had a premonition that he wouldn’t come back alive,” recalled Balbir Singh.
The veteran Olympian recalled his journey to the Roopa Valley near Bomdila in the Northeast. Giving an account of the region, Balbir Singh writes: “It was a long journey from Jalandhar (Punjab) to Missamari (Assam) and thence by road to Rupa along the foothill route since there were hardly any roads and the terrain was mountainous and forested.” The 4 Sikh battalion was stationed in the Rupa Valley, added Balbir Singh.
The Olympian recalled the keen interest taken by the Indian Army in fostering the Indian hockey team in years ahead of the inaugural 1928 Olympics.
“In 1928, the Indian hockey team embarked on a momentous journey, competing in their inaugural Olympics Games. Against all odds, they triumphed, capturing the coveted gold medal in their maiden appearance,” wrote Balbir Singh, adding that “extraordinary era of supremacy fetched India consecutive gold medals from 1928 to 1956 in the Olympics.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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