Page 15 - Seniors Today - Vol1 Issue 3

MAJOR GENERAL RAJINDAR SINGH “SPAR- Squadron of his regiment to Srinagar and they were
ROW” (1911-1994) instrumental in the destruction of a raider force at
the Battle of Shelatang that saved Srinagar. Thereaf-
ter he led his regiment in battles of Naoshera, Com-
manded the “Cheeta Force” that destroyed enemy
forces and dumps up to the borders of Jammu &
Kashmir beyond Chhamb and captured Jhangar,
for which he received his first Maha Vir Chakra. He
led his tanks up the 11,500 feet Zoji-La pass, caused
the enemy to flee and thus opened the axis towards
Kargil that eventually saved Ladakh.
Major General Rajindar Singh “Sparrow” was born In the Indo-Pak conflict of 1965, the General was in
in 1911 in the Majithia family of Punjab and his command of 1 Armoured Division that was launched
ancestors had been generals during the period of into the Sialkot Sector against Pakistan’s 1 Corps
Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Empire. They and its 6 Armoured Division. The division fought a
had fought many battles including those at Mul- historic battle at Phillora, probably the largest tank
tan, Kashmir, Peshawar, Jamrud, and against the battle after World War II, and had complete success.
British East India Company at Mudki, Ferozeshah, As was his nature, he was always in the van with his
Sobraon, Chillianwala and Gujarat. He was com- troops. At the end of the war his division occupied a
missioned from the Indian Military College in 1937 very large area in Pakistan and had destroyed over
and was attached to the 1st King’s Liverpool Battal- 180 Pakistan tanks and other war material. For his
ion in the Northwest Frontier Province where he courage and gallantry he was awarded a “bar” to his
saw action against tribals. Thereafter he joined his Maha Vir Chakra.
regiment 7th Light Cavalry. During World War II he On retirement the General went into politics and was
was on active duty in Iraq and Persia and at the end a cabinet minister in the Government of Punjab and
of the war, was in Japan with his regiment as part later, Member of Parliament for Jalandhar two times.
of the occupation forces. He took command of his He is survived by his wife, Sonia Rajindar Singh who
regiment in Japan and brought them to India after is 103 years of age, and two sons, Lt Gen M S Shergill
Independence. PVSM, AVSM, VrC and Lt Gen T S Shergill PVSM.
Shortly after arrival in India he despatched B

that armour would be used at those heights enquiry, I learned that this was the second
under those conditions. They were conceived solider that this porter Mohammad Ismail had
and manufactured for operation on mostly level brought down in seriously injured condition
ground and the plains. from an army piquet high up on the cliffside.
(A few weeks earlier the French photographer I was told that due to enemy firing, soldiers in
Henri Cartier Bresson, who had become a good our piquet had been wounded and they were
friend, had given me his last colour film before in no condition to come down on their own.
leaving, since I was the only photojournalist Only a daredevil volunteer from down below
around. I had never used colour film before and could go up and help to bring the injured down
was miserly in using it. After exposure, the film
had to be sent to Paris for processing, and came
back to me after a couple of weeks. However, the
first shots on Duafaycolor were taken by me at
Gumri Basin of the first tanks that got across
Zoji-La.)
On one of my trips from Srinagar to Zoji-
La in June 1948, I was waiting at the TCP
(Traffic Control Point) at Nilgrad little beyond
Sonamarg when I saw a Balti porter carrying
an injured solider in a homespun blanket. On
Mohammed Ismail, the porter who was awarded the MVC during
SENIORS TODAY | Volume 1 | Issue 3
15 the Zoji La operations