A new Bollywood movie – 120 Bahadur starring Farhan Akhtar
as Major Shaitan Singh will be a cinematic tribute to the Indo-China war
happened in 1962. 120 Indian soldiers were pitted against a Chinese army of
3000 soldiers. Though Shaitan Singh and
his comrades perished in the war, their guts and courage succeeded in
overpowering the marching enemy. The upcoming war movie : 120 Bahadur is a
homage to the fallen heroes.
A glimpse at the Rezang la war :
Saragarhi, Kondana, Ladakh, Kargil, Galwan…The list is
endless. Some battles were fought for forts, some for nation and some for
honor. Every time a battle took place, blood spilled on both sides. The 1962
Indo-China is a horrifying reminder of carnage. The Rezang la battle of 18th
November 1962 claimed lives of several Indian soldiers who fought till the last
man against Chinese. Though Indian army lost the battle, it succeeded to
overpower the marching enemy. The Rezang la battle is incredible story of
courage, hope, patriotism, will and sacrifice. Today’s generation idolize
fictional heroes on screen but haven’t heard anything about Major Shaitan Singh
and his platoon who took a might against 3000 Chinese soldiers.
The 123 soldiers at Rezang la were deprived of winter clothing and weapons to
face the severe chilled weather and the advancing enemies. What they didn’t
lack was courage. Under the leadership of Major Shaitan Singh, the soldiers
took a might against huge Chinese army that were equipped with automatic guns.
While the Chinese soldiers had modern ammunition, our Indian soldiers had
vintage rifles. Despite the odds, Major Shaitan Singh and his troops fought
till the last man and perished on the battlefield. It is been said that Major
Shaitan Singh kept inspiring his men, running from post to post even when he
was bleeding severely by a bullet. His stomach had burst open. Though the
Rezang la war was a defeat for Indian army, it had been victorious by
displaying raw courage even in adverse situations. The care free attitude of
Indian government claimed the lives of several brave army officers like Major
Shaitan Singh and Subedar Joginder Singh. Only Major Dhan Singh Thapa lived to
tell the story. He had defended the Sirijap sector with his raw courage but was
overpowered and taken as prisoner of war by Chinese. Who can forget the
sacrifice of Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat who single handedly killed 300
Chinese soldiers in battle of Nuranang on November 1962?
I had read about the valor and sacrifice of Major Shaitan
Singh and his brave troops in the book – The Brave: Param Vir Chakra Stories
written by author Rachna Bisht Rawat. The story literally made me break in
tears. A soldier doesn’t die when he is shot by a bullet, he really dies when
we forget his sacrifice. Our history textbooks won’t give you any information
on the forgotten heroes of Rezang la war. That is the sad irony that today’s
young generation hardly know about the Rezang la war and the soldiers who
fought for India’s honor. The Kumaon regiment led by Major Shaitan Singh was
one of the bravest regiments who taught the world what courage really meant.
Major Shaitan Singh was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously for his
courageous stand and sacrifice. Today, only two soldiers – Havaldar Nihal Singh
and Captain Ramchander Yadav who survived in battle of Rezang la can tell you
in detail what a great soldier Shaitan Singh was. If you travel to Ladakh, do
visit to Rezang la war memorial where you will read the lines written in memory
of war heroes.
How can a man die better
than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his father,
and the temple of his gods.
If I hadn’t been a writer, I would have been a soldier, facing bullets and
driving away the marching enemy who dared to cross the border of my nation. I
have the regret that I couldn’t be a part of Kargil war in 1999. Through this
writing platform, I am trying to pay my tribute to the fallen heroes of Indian
army.
After Lakshya, 120 Bahadur will be the 2nd patriotic movie with war
as the backdrop. The movie will be produced by Excel Entertainment in
collaboration with Trigger Happy Studios. I am happy to know that Bollywood is
making movies on our war heroes and their courage in battle of Rezang la and
Longewala.
