As recd. Made me very emotional. Understand this fabulous write up follows commendable research by Wg Cdr Unnikartha.
'Yes, JC 8764 Kanshi Ram (DoB 8 Sep 22), enrolled at then DRC Jallundar on 8 Sep 41, was promoted Hon Lt on 26 Jan 71 (in NDA), discharged & SOS after max permissible service of 48 yrs & 10 months wef 8 Jul 71, prescribed under Army rule 13(3) Ite, 1(i). Along with his wife 'Barfi Devi' KR then travelled to village 'Demi' (about 80 km from Hamirpur in HP), and as a fully contended man, sat on a charpoi, smoked his hooka silently, day dreamed and finally marched off into the sunset on 4 Nov11.
He had no serious ailment. His satisfying dreams may have been of 6000 odd juvenile delinquents in IMA & NDA who distinguished themselves in army/navy/AF and of 11 chiefs, about 250 kg of stars and medals including 2 PVCs that his wards won, commanded armies in peace and war. KR was recruited at 18, and sent to Kotabaru (a British enclave in Malaya). Shortly after his arrival, as the youngest in A Coy of 17 Dogra (under new raising after ops in Africa), they were the only obstacle in the way of the mighty Japanese invasion force of Malaya (like Normandy ldg).
KR was the only survivor, he had been sent as runner/swimmer, cross country across the jungles and lagoons to inform CO 17 Dogra at the airfield to inform him of the invasion (no radio with them then). He the fought read guard action with retreating mixed Allied forces and was taken PoW at Jhor causeway before the fall of S'pore, put to work as labourer to build the Sittang rail net work (movie Bridge on River Kwai).
KR was repatriated stricken with severe malaria and amoebic dysentery, weighing 34 kg (6'1"), when Japs withdrew from Malaya. Fought with 3 Dogra in 47/49 in Kashmir war, went with UN mission to Korea, fought with 3 Dogra in 62 war, again in 65 (glorious Raja Picket battle). He joined NDA as SM Disc & Drill on 4 Jun 66. ......................Last heard in 2015, Barfi Devi was still alive shuttling between her two sons Ajit Singh & Baldev Singh.
Ajit joined NDA Cmdt's secretariat as a Clk GD and retired as an 'office Mgr'. Baldev joined Corps of Sig and retired as a SM. Ajit lives in Pune and Baldev in Hamirpur. What more can I say of this brave and unwavering soldier, that in my opinion, one of the ever watchful lions on the Ashoka pillar is actually KR.
Yes one more thing. ..............
He had no serious ailment. His satisfying dreams may have been of 6000 odd juvenile delinquents in IMA & NDA who distinguished themselves in army/navy/AF and of 11 chiefs, about 250 kg of stars and medals including 2 PVCs that his wards won, commanded armies in peace and war. KR was recruited at 18, and sent to Kotabaru (a British enclave in Malaya). Shortly after his arrival, as the youngest in A Coy of 17 Dogra (under new raising after ops in Africa), they were the only obstacle in the way of the mighty Japanese invasion force of Malaya (like Normandy ldg).
KR was the only survivor, he had been sent as runner/swimmer, cross country across the jungles and lagoons to inform CO 17 Dogra at the airfield to inform him of the invasion (no radio with them then). He the fought read guard action with retreating mixed Allied forces and was taken PoW at Jhor causeway before the fall of S'pore, put to work as labourer to build the Sittang rail net work (movie Bridge on River Kwai).
KR was repatriated stricken with severe malaria and amoebic dysentery, weighing 34 kg (6'1"), when Japs withdrew from Malaya. Fought with 3 Dogra in 47/49 in Kashmir war, went with UN mission to Korea, fought with 3 Dogra in 62 war, again in 65 (glorious Raja Picket battle). He joined NDA as SM Disc & Drill on 4 Jun 66. ......................Last heard in 2015, Barfi Devi was still alive shuttling between her two sons Ajit Singh & Baldev Singh.
Ajit joined NDA Cmdt's secretariat as a Clk GD and retired as an 'office Mgr'. Baldev joined Corps of Sig and retired as a SM. Ajit lives in Pune and Baldev in Hamirpur. What more can I say of this brave and unwavering soldier, that in my opinion, one of the ever watchful lions on the Ashoka pillar is actually KR.
Yes one more thing. ..............
One more thing..........While perusing his service records in DRC, I found two inland letters written by KR to DRC after retirement (some routine correspondence related to his pension). They were in his own very neat handwriting. I scrutinised each with a microscope, looking for a mistake, punctuation, grammar, syntax, a badly constructed sentence or infliction of any sort. I could not find a single mistake - the letters were written in perfect, dry, formal Queen's English.
His service record stated that KR had passed 'Educational Qualifications' AEC 3rd and 2nd in 1943 & 44, with his British Coy Cdr Capt McDowell recording 91% and 92% marks. Afterwards KR passed AEC 1st in 1957 with similar distinction. So in my opinion, KR was an extremely educated soldier those days. KR could not have passed those exams with distinction, especially in the British Army, if his spoken and written communication skills in English were not exceptional.
So it is an enigma how his English 'Both of you three standing under the wooden tree', denigrated from Queens English to the pidgin jokes that we still crack !!! I can think of only one reason, the influence of an Irish giant, impeccable Sgt Maj O'Sullivan who spoke a smattering of Hindustani and poor English with an Irish accent, who terrorised recruits in DRC Jallunder when KR was a recruit, and followed him about in Malaya including the PoW camps during WW-II. Perhaps KR morphed into Sgt Maj O'Sullivan, KR's role model when in IMA & NDA, jested to amuse the Cdts and drill Ustads.
His service record stated that KR had passed 'Educational Qualifications' AEC 3rd and 2nd in 1943 & 44, with his British Coy Cdr Capt McDowell recording 91% and 92% marks. Afterwards KR passed AEC 1st in 1957 with similar distinction. So in my opinion, KR was an extremely educated soldier those days. KR could not have passed those exams with distinction, especially in the British Army, if his spoken and written communication skills in English were not exceptional.
So it is an enigma how his English 'Both of you three standing under the wooden tree', denigrated from Queens English to the pidgin jokes that we still crack !!! I can think of only one reason, the influence of an Irish giant, impeccable Sgt Maj O'Sullivan who spoke a smattering of Hindustani and poor English with an Irish accent, who terrorised recruits in DRC Jallunder when KR was a recruit, and followed him about in Malaya including the PoW camps during WW-II. Perhaps KR morphed into Sgt Maj O'Sullivan, KR's role model when in IMA & NDA, jested to amuse the Cdts and drill Ustads.
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