The story of ‘Sher Bachha’: 4 Sikh in Poonch
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Posted by Lt Gen H S Panag
| Jul 1, 2016 in Articles |
Nestled between the Betar Nala to the west and Poonch river to the south, Poonch is a historical town along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. It’s a place that occupies an important place in our military history and also one that has produced some legendary characters, including two unforgettable members of the Indian Army, who were in their own way the Rajas of Poonch.
Our logistics base for 4 Sikh in Poonch was near the old palace of its former King that was designed like a European castle. Our Officers’ Mess was called Joginder Mahal and was located in the house of a former jagirdar. Outside Joginder Mahal, under a Chinar tree, were the quarters of Havaldar Raja Singh, the unit mascot of 4 Sikh – a six-foot tall (when standing), 250 kg Himalayan black bear!
Raja’s original home was in the forested Loran Valley at the base of the Pir Panjals, where one of our long-range patrols rescued him from a pack of jackals. He was just two or three months old then and
apparently had been separated from his mother. Raja was brought back to the unit and enrolled as the unit mascot. As per military tradition, he was given a regimental number and also authorised rations, uniform and veterinary services. Kalu Ram, our barman, was made his keeper and instructor.
Raja was a fast learner and was soon learning a new trick every fortnight. He also grew up fast and in two and half years, he was a fully-grown, handsome animal. His rations increased to be equivalent to that of five soldiers and rules had to be bent to feed him.
And why not? After all, Raja did everything along with the soldiers at the logistics base. He was up for physical training at 6.00 am, did three to four hours of training and one hour of games in the evening. He learnt the basic military drill movements of savdhan, vishram and salute. A dummy rifle was obtained for him and apart from rifle drill movements, he could also adopt the prone firing position. He would salute us whenever we came out or went into the Mess.
Like Rani, the female panther I’d mentioned in my previous column, he was always on parade with officers and junior commissioned officers (JCOs) for introduction to VIPs during inspections and visits. Like Rani, he too, kept the visitors engaged and happy, leaving them with little time for inspection and ‘fault finding’ – a peculiar trait of senior officers.
When not chained — his chain was merely a token — Raja would frequent two places. The first place was the mud huts of the officers to look for biscuits, a habit for which officers themselves were responsible. More frequently, he would head for the Officers’ Mess bar to look for beer – a brew of which he become fond of owing to the indulgence of Kalu Ram. Raja had to be disciplined and allowed only one bottle a week. And being a bear with standards, he liked it chilled and refused warm beer. Once, as a cub, Raja raided the Mess kitchen an hour before a party and ate up all the cooked food. The party had to be turned into a virtual drinking orgy to gain time and restock the food. Raja was punished — with extra drill parades.
Pranks apart, Raja’s good training made him rise rapidly in ranks. In three years, he rose from sepoy to havaldar, which was prominently displayed on his uniform coat. However, despite all this, the career of Havaldar Raja Singh the Bear was doomed.
As Raja stepped into adulthood, his libido roared into action and he started doing what all boys do – self-gratification. In the predominantly male environment, this would have been a non-issue, but one day he indulged himself during the visit of the spouse of a government official. The lady in question (who would later rise to prominence in national politics) probably understood it as a normal facet of animal behaviour, but our Commanding Officer was very embarrassed.
As a first step to discipline him, Raja’s Court Martial was ordered and a mock Court Martial was actually held. The Commanding Officer was in favour of demotion to the rank of naik, but after other members prevailed upon him, he let Raja off with a severe reprimand but with a rider — Raja would be neutered because the unit was moving back to a peace station.
There were no tranquilliser guns for animals those days and Raja had to be held in place during the operation by soldiers. Having been a free animal all his life, Raja panicked and experienced tremendous stress at being restrained. He died of cardiac arrest. We didn’t learn from history. Rani too had died under similar circumstances 17 years ago while being spayed by a vet. Military burial with gun salute marked the end of Raja Singh. Raja was buried near the Officer’s Mess and a commemorative marble plaque was installed to honour him.
http://www.newslaundry.com/2016/07/01/the-story-of-sher-bachha-braveheart-soldier-who-saved-poonch/#.V3jqxzM7hsQ.facebook
Posted by Lt Gen H S Panag
| Jul 1, 2016 in Articles |
Nestled between the Betar Nala to the west and Poonch river to the south, Poonch is a historical town along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. It’s a place that occupies an important place in our military history and also one that has produced some legendary characters, including two unforgettable members of the Indian Army, who were in their own way the Rajas of Poonch.
Raja’s original home was in the forested Loran Valley at the base of the Pir Panjals, where one of our long-range patrols rescued him from a pack of jackals. He was just two or three months old then and
apparently had been separated from his mother. Raja was brought back to the unit and enrolled as the unit mascot. As per military tradition, he was given a regimental number and also authorised rations, uniform and veterinary services. Kalu Ram, our barman, was made his keeper and instructor.
Raja was a fast learner and was soon learning a new trick every fortnight. He also grew up fast and in two and half years, he was a fully-grown, handsome animal. His rations increased to be equivalent to that of five soldiers and rules had to be bent to feed him.
And why not? After all, Raja did everything along with the soldiers at the logistics base. He was up for physical training at 6.00 am, did three to four hours of training and one hour of games in the evening. He learnt the basic military drill movements of savdhan, vishram and salute. A dummy rifle was obtained for him and apart from rifle drill movements, he could also adopt the prone firing position. He would salute us whenever we came out or went into the Mess.
Like Rani, the female panther I’d mentioned in my previous column, he was always on parade with officers and junior commissioned officers (JCOs) for introduction to VIPs during inspections and visits. Like Rani, he too, kept the visitors engaged and happy, leaving them with little time for inspection and ‘fault finding’ – a peculiar trait of senior officers.
When not chained — his chain was merely a token — Raja would frequent two places. The first place was the mud huts of the officers to look for biscuits, a habit for which officers themselves were responsible. More frequently, he would head for the Officers’ Mess bar to look for beer – a brew of which he become fond of owing to the indulgence of Kalu Ram. Raja had to be disciplined and allowed only one bottle a week. And being a bear with standards, he liked it chilled and refused warm beer. Once, as a cub, Raja raided the Mess kitchen an hour before a party and ate up all the cooked food. The party had to be turned into a virtual drinking orgy to gain time and restock the food. Raja was punished — with extra drill parades.
Pranks apart, Raja’s good training made him rise rapidly in ranks. In three years, he rose from sepoy to havaldar, which was prominently displayed on his uniform coat. However, despite all this, the career of Havaldar Raja Singh the Bear was doomed.
As Raja stepped into adulthood, his libido roared into action and he started doing what all boys do – self-gratification. In the predominantly male environment, this would have been a non-issue, but one day he indulged himself during the visit of the spouse of a government official. The lady in question (who would later rise to prominence in national politics) probably understood it as a normal facet of animal behaviour, but our Commanding Officer was very embarrassed.
As a first step to discipline him, Raja’s Court Martial was ordered and a mock Court Martial was actually held. The Commanding Officer was in favour of demotion to the rank of naik, but after other members prevailed upon him, he let Raja off with a severe reprimand but with a rider — Raja would be neutered because the unit was moving back to a peace station.
There were no tranquilliser guns for animals those days and Raja had to be held in place during the operation by soldiers. Having been a free animal all his life, Raja panicked and experienced tremendous stress at being restrained. He died of cardiac arrest. We didn’t learn from history. Rani too had died under similar circumstances 17 years ago while being spayed by a vet. Military burial with gun salute marked the end of Raja Singh. Raja was buried near the Officer’s Mess and a commemorative marble plaque was installed to honour him.
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