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Authors: Rachna Bisht Rawat
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were forgotten and he became a yogic warrior as he wreaked havoc on the battlefield.
With immense satisfaction he watched the much larger group of enemy soldiers scatter and run in terror of the tiny group of Gorkhas. They had never encountered such a ferocious enemy before. His soldiers had instilled terror with their savage charge and their deadly use of the khukri—a weapon the enemy had never seen before. In the distance, fumes were still rising from the armoured car that his men had knocked out with their rocket launcher. It was unbelievable, but they had chased away a 90-strong enemy force of men, who were bigger and equipped with the latest arms and ammunition. Around him were strewn the corpses of the gendarmerie, stunned disbelief writ large on their lifeless faces.
Salaria had just bayoneted a man who had been trying to escape, when a burst of automatic fire from another fleeing enemy soldier sprayed into his neck. He felt his neck and found it covered in blood. Two bullets had pierced his neck. The blood was seeping down and soaking his shirt. Right ahead he could see the gendarmerie running away. Some of his brave and gutsy Gorkhas were still giving chase.
He did not resist when an immense weariness enveloped him. He had lost too much blood. His task had been achieved and he was at peace. Closing his eyes, Capt. Gurbachan Singh Salaria of 3/1 Gorkha Rifles, dropped his rifle and fell, drifting into unconsciousness from which he would never awaken.
Many years earlier, when Salaria had joined the Gorkha Rifles, he had been told that his regiment’s motto was: It is better to die than to be a coward: ‘Kafar hunu bhanda marnu ramro.’
Salaria had lived up to the motto.
Salaria fancied himself a palmist. Before the Congo deployment in February 1961, he had visited Chotta Shimla for some work and run into an excise officer, who used to read people’s palms. Reading Salaria’s hand, the officer told him that there was a star on his mount of Jupiter, which would bring him great fame. Salaria took the prediction very seriously and would often point it out to fellow officers in lighter moments. Maj Gen R. P. Singh remembers how in Congo one day when he and Salaria were discussing the abduction of Maj Ajeet by enemy soldiers, and hoping that Ajeet would be returned to them unharmed, Salaria told him quite seriously that he had read Ajeet’s hand and that he had a clear break in his lifeline. He quickly added though that Ajeet also had a supporting lifeline so nothing should happen to him.
He then went on to show the general his own right hand. He again pointed out the star on his mount of Jupiter. ‘Wait and see, this star will take me to great heights, ‘ he said. Singh had leaned over to feel the mount, but only out of politeness. ‘I just shrugged it off as I never took his knowledge of palmistry seriously, ‘ the general recounts. ‘I did not know that his day of reckoning and attaining fame was just a few days away. Or that he would never know of this fame since it would come when he was in his heavenly abode, ‘ he says quietly.
Instead he just told Salaria that no one could stop anyone from achieving fame if it was written in their destiny. Soon after Salaria left after refusing a dinner offer, Singh took out a copy of Cheiro’s book on palmistry that he had in his suitcase and read about the star on the mount of Jupiter. ‘These people are ambitious, fearless and determined in all that they undertake. They are leaders. They concentrate on whatever they may be doing at that moment and see no way but their own, ‘ said the book. A cold shiver ran down Singh’s spine. He knew just how upset and angry Salaria was about Ajeet’s abduction and just how keen he was to teach the gendarmerie a lesson. A concerned Singh went down to the control room and asked the operator to check if Salaria had reached his location safely. He heaved a sigh of relief when confirmation came that he had.
Gurbachan
With immense satisfaction he watched the much larger group of enemy soldiers scatter and run in terror of the tiny group of Gorkhas. They had never encountered such a ferocious enemy before. His soldiers had instilled terror with their savage charge and their deadly use of the khukri—a weapon the enemy had never seen before. In the distance, fumes were still rising from the armoured car that his men had knocked out with their rocket launcher. It was unbelievable, but they had chased away a 90-strong enemy force of men, who were bigger and equipped with the latest arms and ammunition. Around him were strewn the corpses of the gendarmerie, stunned disbelief writ large on their lifeless faces.
Salaria had just bayoneted a man who had been trying to escape, when a burst of automatic fire from another fleeing enemy soldier sprayed into his neck. He felt his neck and found it covered in blood. Two bullets had pierced his neck. The blood was seeping down and soaking his shirt. Right ahead he could see the gendarmerie running away. Some of his brave and gutsy Gorkhas were still giving chase.
He did not resist when an immense weariness enveloped him. He had lost too much blood. His task had been achieved and he was at peace. Closing his eyes, Capt. Gurbachan Singh Salaria of 3/1 Gorkha Rifles, dropped his rifle and fell, drifting into unconsciousness from which he would never awaken.
Many years earlier, when Salaria had joined the Gorkha Rifles, he had been told that his regiment’s motto was: It is better to die than to be a coward: ‘Kafar hunu bhanda marnu ramro.’
Salaria had lived up to the motto.
Salaria fancied himself a palmist. Before the Congo deployment in February 1961, he had visited Chotta Shimla for some work and run into an excise officer, who used to read people’s palms. Reading Salaria’s hand, the officer told him that there was a star on his mount of Jupiter, which would bring him great fame. Salaria took the prediction very seriously and would often point it out to fellow officers in lighter moments. Maj Gen R. P. Singh remembers how in Congo one day when he and Salaria were discussing the abduction of Maj Ajeet by enemy soldiers, and hoping that Ajeet would be returned to them unharmed, Salaria told him quite seriously that he had read Ajeet’s hand and that he had a clear break in his lifeline. He quickly added though that Ajeet also had a supporting lifeline so nothing should happen to him.
He then went on to show the general his own right hand. He again pointed out the star on his mount of Jupiter. ‘Wait and see, this star will take me to great heights, ‘ he said. Singh had leaned over to feel the mount, but only out of politeness. ‘I just shrugged it off as I never took his knowledge of palmistry seriously, ‘ the general recounts. ‘I did not know that his day of reckoning and attaining fame was just a few days away. Or that he would never know of this fame since it would come when he was in his heavenly abode, ‘ he says quietly.
Instead he just told Salaria that no one could stop anyone from achieving fame if it was written in their destiny. Soon after Salaria left after refusing a dinner offer, Singh took out a copy of Cheiro’s book on palmistry that he had in his suitcase and read about the star on the mount of Jupiter. ‘These people are ambitious, fearless and determined in all that they undertake. They are leaders. They concentrate on whatever they may be doing at that moment and see no way but their own, ‘ said the book. A cold shiver ran down Singh’s spine. He knew just how upset and angry Salaria was about Ajeet’s abduction and just how keen he was to teach the gendarmerie a lesson. A concerned Singh went down to the control room and asked the operator to check if Salaria had reached his location safely. He heaved a sigh of relief when confirmation came that he had.
Gurbachan
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