From the Indian Army website:
The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. The decoration may be awarded posthumously.
*** Saluting our Heores – Naik Jadu Nath Singh, PVC ***

A tribute to Naik Jadu Nath Singh who sacrificed his life on this date,  62 years ago.
January 1948: The battle to liberate Jammu & Kashmir is now in its final stages. The airlift in Oct …

On the occassion of India’s 61st Republic Day, please read and share the extraordinary story of Major Hoshiar Singh – a “Param Vir” who displayed exemplary valour and risked his life so that we may live in peace.  Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
For those who may be reading this series for the first time, the

Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. The decoration …

From the Indian Army website:

The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. The decoration may be awarded posthumously.

*** Saluting our Heores – Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC ***

A tribute to Fg Off Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC
***
Early December 1971: The Indian Air Force has launched massive retaliatory strikes against Pakistan’s pre-emptive attacks on eleven cities in India on 3rd December. …

From the Indian Army website:
The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. The decoration may be awarded posthumously.
*** Saluting our Heores – Lance Naik, Albert Ekka, PVC ***

A tribute to Lance Naik Albert Ekka, PVC
Early December 1971, Eastern border: The flood of refugees fleeing from the genocide in East Pakistan keeps swelling by the day. The simmering tension on the border is …

From the Indian Army website:
The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. The decoration may be awarded posthumously.
*** Saluting our Heores – 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, PVC ***

A tribute to 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal who sacrificed his life on this date,  38 years ago.
Early December 1971, Shakargarh Sector: The war that began with outbreak of hostilities in Dacca between Paksitani armed forces …

From the Indian Army website:
The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. The decoration may be awarded posthumously.
*** Saluting our Heores – Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, PVC ***

A tribute to Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria who sacrificed his life on this date,  48 years ago.
The heroic story of Captain Salaria that I am about to share with you is probably the most unusual …

From the Indian Army website:
The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. The decoration may be awarded posthumously.
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*** Saluting our Heores – Major Shaitan Singh, PVC ***

A tribute to Major Shaitan Singh, a Param Veer who sacrificed his life on this date,  47 years ago.
Early November 1962: After years of “Panch Sheel” and slogans of “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai”, reality is slowly creeping …

From the Indian Army website:
The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea, or in the air. The decoration may be awarded posthumously.
.
*** Saluting our Heores – Major Somnath Sharma, PVC ***

A tribute to Major Somnath Sharma, Indian’s first “Param Veer” who sacrificed his life on this date, 62 years ago.
August-September 1947:  These are heady days. While most of the country is celebrating “independence”, the streams of …

This post was prompted by a winding but thought-provoking conversation I had this summer with a friend and his cousin – a young serving officer in the Indian Navy. We talked politics, Jammu & Kashmir, 26/11, bribery, corruption and Pakistan…until talk got around to attitudes of young people towards the army and the general lack of interest in a career in the armed forces.
The young naval officer felt that at least part of the blame lies with our attitudes towards “heroes”. As a society and as a nation, …

…who was hanged on this day at 0900hrs GMT in London in the year 1909 at the tender age of 26.
Dhingra was no ordinary criminal.
He belonged to a distinguished family from Amritsar.
His father, Ditta Mal, retired as a government civil surgeon and had 21 houses in Katra Sher Singh and six bungalows on G.T. Road….He held the title of Rai Saheb, given by the British government.
…He had seven sons and a daughter. Three of his sons were trained medical doctors and three were barristers-bar at law. [ link ]
On July …

*** 78 years ago on this date ***
BHAGAT SINGH, RAJGURU AND SUKHDEV EXECUTED
NO “LAST INTERVIEW” WITH RELATIONS
DEAD BODIES SECRETLY DISPOSED OF

Front Page of the Lahore Tribue, March 1931 (Thanks Amitabh).
If you have a broadband connection and about 10 minutes, please do listen to this song (recorded on a Youtube video clip) by Lata Mangeshkar “Ae Mere Watan ke Logon” (composed by C. Ramchandra and lyrics by Pradeep). When Lata-ji sung this song in 1962. it reportedly brought Pt Jawarlal Nehru to tears.
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All photographs courtesy (and copyright) http://www.shahidbhagatsingh.org/ For more, …

A heartfelt note of gratitude from Dr S Kalyanaraman-ji. Please read in full.
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*** An Open Letter to Mr. Unnikrishnan ***
Dear Mr. Unnikrishnan,
You do not know me but I owe you a great debt. It sits on my shoulder like the body of a much loved brother, it shrouds my heart and casts a pall on all that I do….I know not how to repay you and that is my biggest agony. I see you as you speak to the media without a quaver in your voice, I see your …

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Hawaldar Gajendra Singh, both NSG commandos, laid down their lives today (28th Nov ‘08), defending their people and their country in Mumbai.
They are not the first of our brave men…They will not be the last.
In these trying times, let us spare a thought for the mothers who will never see their sons, the children who will never hear their father again and the wives who will only be left with memories of their loved ones.
Please think of them and contribute generously.
You can contribute directly by cheque/drafts …

Hon Sh Antony’s absence at Gen Manekshaw’s funeral (and the�subsequent face-saving gesture)�neither shocked nor suprised me…
In the�60 years of�its existence, India’s�defence personnel have never been celebrated or got the attention that they richly deserve…
Their’s is a forgotten story of harsh conditions and extreme risks…and few of us ever pause to think how much we owe to these brave men and women who often pay with their lives so that we may live….Our leaders and media have long ignored the armed forces…and Hon. Sh Antony’s absence at the funeral fitted that …

“Day after Sena medal, officer dies fighting Ulfa”
“…A day after he was awarded the Sena medal for gallantry, on Republic Day, Capt Sunil Kumar Choudhary of 7/11 Gorkha Rifles died fighting Ulfa terrorists in Assam’s Tinsukia district on Sunday.
The 28-year-old officer was shot during an encounter with militants at Barpathar in the militancy-hit Tinsukia district of Upper Assam.
…An army report said Capt Choudhury and his team rushed to a house at Rangagarh in Borpathar after a tip-off that Ulfa terrorists had taken shelter there. The team came under heavy …

Friends,��
Thanks for all your comments to my post ” Of Stars and Martyrs, Munnabhai vs. Manish Pitambare“

It brought up deep feelings and emotions and I think the thoughts deserve a follow-up and wider circulation�.hence this follow up post.

I am so glad that several of you took the initiative to search the web when you didn�t knew who Manish Pitambare was…most other people would have simply switched channels or continued watching the show without bothering to find out who Major Pitambare was. �
Neuron, you say that �being in news is not …

Yesterday, I received this truly saddening email about of a brave army officer who laid his life down in an encounter with Hizbul Mujahideen’s most wanted terrorist. Truly saddening…and a disgusting commentary on the media in general.
Please read this, ponder and circulate widely amongst fellow citizens and friends.
****************
From: Rajeev.Issar
Star versus ‘Star’

On Tuesday (Nov 28th ‘06) news swept across all the news channels ‘Sanjay Datt relieved by the court’. ‘Sirf Munna Not a bhai’ ‘13 saal ka vanvaas khatam’ ‘alhough found guilty for possession of armory, Sanjay can breathe a …