Deepa Malik’s 3rd Entry into Limca Book of Records

Anil Bhat

Paralysed below the chest because of three repeated spinal cord tumor surgeries resulting in 183 stitches on the upper spinal column, Deepa Malik, 42, refused to give in to her many physical limitations and after many achievements in sports for the physically challenged, she undertook a journey to one of the world’s highest motorable roads, at Khardung La, in her customised Tata Safari car, making it the highest motor raid by a paraplegic woman. Begining from Delhi on June 9, 2011, she along with co-driver Prateek Gahlaut, crossed nine very high passes, covering 3000 km in 10 days. For this formidable feat, Deepa recently featured for the third time in the Limca Book of Records as she became the first paraplegic woman to drive over one of the highest motorable roads in the world.

What makes Deepa’s records even more extraordinary are, that she has no bladder or bowel control or sensation in her body below chest level. She has no torso balance and only half her lungs inflate. Disc degeneration due to laminectomy (a spine operation to remove the portion of the vertebral bone called the lamina, a posterior arch of the vertebral bone) on her 7^th vertebrae column has made her shoulders weak. This, combined with other medical challenges like cholecystectomy – removal of gall bladder and hypothyroidism- are more than enough to make any person lose the zest for life, but Deepa decided to combat all these handicaps to try to live life as close to normal as possible and encourage other people with disabilities, to drive as it offers independence.

An elated Deepa Malik said: “I am glad that my achievement will be taken as an inspiration by the other physically challenged people and they would also realise that disability is only a state of mind.” Deepa got paralyzed at a time when her husband, Colonel Bikram Singh Malik, of The Scinde Horse, was deployed in the Kargil war during 1999. For her, this journey, which is exactly 12 years later, is a way of celebrating both the victories of their lives. For Deepa’s sake, Colonel Malik took early retirement from the Army in 2006.

Deepa’s choice of vehicle for this challenging journey was her customised Tata Safari, considered a tough vehicle, which is ideal for undertaking arduous road journeys. Choosing the Tata Safari was also an emotional decision as she had been driving a Tata Estate for seven years before she developed a tumor in her spinal cord. The Tata Safari also made practical sense as its suspension and leg space in the, even after getting major modifications, still made it the ideal vehicle for such a long and strenuous journey.

Flagged off from New Delhi, the route charted out was through Jallandhar - Udhampur - Srinagar - Kargil-Leh (Pangong, Hunder) - Pang- Tandi- Manali – Chandigarh - and back to Delhi. The nine passes included Fotu La (la meaning a mountain pass)  – Zoji La– Chang La - Khardung La – Tangla La– Nakee la – Chung La - Baralacha La and the famous Rohtang pass near Manali. At 5,359 metres (17,582 ft) over sea level, Khardung La, located in India’s Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, is the second highest of mountain passes in the world. Marsimik La at 5,590 metres (18,340 ft), also in India, on the northern-most tip of the Changthang Plateau, near the Line of Actual Control (Chinese border), is the world's highest known motorable pass.

Deepa is an exceptionally highly accomplished physically challenged international sportswoman and medal-winner in areas of biking, swimming and car rallying as well as other heavy-weight sports like shot put, javelin and discus throw, and has been representing the country at both national and international tournaments for the disabled categories. This achievement is just another feather in her cap as she continues her awe- inspiring journey of grit and courage.

As a mother of two talented and beautiful daughters Devika, 21 and Ambika, 17, Deepa has strived to strike the balance between her responsibilities at home and her aspirations for carving out a name for herself as an international medal-winning sportswoman. Some of her honours include a silver medal in shot put at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch (the only medal for the country and the first ever medal won by an Indian woman of any disability), three gold medals at CP Sports in Nottinghman in 2010, and a bronze in javelin at the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou (the first ever medal in athletics by a woman in India). Her other triumphs include the 2011 Bajaj Allianz Most Inspirational Women Driver Hunt, the Star Rider Trophy at the Castrol Most Passionate Biker Hunt in 2009, and Limca Records for swimming in River Yamuna against the current for 1 km in 2008, and for riding a special bike in 2009.  These are only a small, tiny glimpse of the great abilities of this woman and the extraordinary life that she’s living.

Her other felicitations include the Stree Shakti Puruskar CARE in 2010, the Guru Govind Puruskar in 2009 and the Rotary Woman of the Year in 2007 among several governmental and non-governmental recognitions. Deepa is also a member of the Working Group for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012 – 2017) on physical education and sports. She is often invited to deliver motivational lectures to spread the knowledge of her experiences and her insights at institutions like Art of Living, army welfare organisations, Indian Spinal Injury Centre, New Delhi and at schools like the Shri Ram School. Represented by Pilcrow Communications Pvt. Ltd., Deepa is presently in training for those who have qualified for the London Paralympics.

INDIAN CAVALRY’S TRYSTS WITH HISTORY

Anil Bhat

3^rd December, 2011 marked  40 years of the outbreak of the third India-Pakistan war, which like the earlier two, was sparked off  by Pakistan. This war is also very significant as it liberated erstwhile Bengali East Pakistan  from horrific oppression and genocide by  the ruling military government of  West Pakistan and created the new nation,  Bangladesh. Following about nine months of a liberation struggle by the Mukti Bahini (Bengali liberation volunteer fighters), it took 13 days of this war for Indian Army to encircle erstwhile East Pakistan, forcing  93,000 Pakistan armed forces personnel to surrender to it. It is also worth noting that India meaningfully followed the Geneva Conventions by  keeping these 93,000 personnel in prisoner of war camps in good health and repatriated them later.  

 On 3^rd December 2011, the statue of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, Param Vir Chakra (posthumous) was unveiled at his alma mater, Lawrence School Sanawar, Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.  Arun, then recently commissioned into The Poona Horse, became the youngest recipient of India’s highest award for gallantry in war, for outstanding valour, which was praised even by his then enemy tank squadron commander. Mrs. Maheshwari Khetarpal, Arun’s mother received the medal and scroll by then President VV Giri on Republic Day, 1972.

On 19^th November 2011, Mrs Khetarpal was honoured during the Cavalry Day wreath-laying ceremony held at the Teen Murti monument, which  was of greater significance as it was held during the run-up to the 40^th Anniversary of the 1971 India-Pakistan War. 

While the first of the armoured fighting vehicles, christened as tanks, were used or rather, tried out, in World War (WW) I, it was in WW II, that well-developed tanks, which had replaced horsed cavalry, proved to be a very decisive factor in modern warfare.

During the first India-Pakistan war in 1947,  Indian Army redefined mountain warfare by fighting at heights of 14,000 feet in Jammu and Kashmir  and even hauling Stuart tanks of 7^th Cavalry up to those heights and shocking Pakistan army..  But after WW II, it was in the 1965 and 1971 India-Pakistan wars that intense tank battles were fought. And it was in both these wars’ tank engagements that the incompetence and lack of training, leadership and motivation of Pak army became obvious. Pak army’s US doled Patton tanks were then the most modern compared with Indian Army’s Centurians of much earlier vintage. Yet in both these wars Pak armoured units took major bashings from Indian Army’s regiments like 4^th (Hodson’s) Horse, The Poona Horse and some others.

Pak armoured corp’s major drawbacks, which caused them very heavy losses of Patton tanks against Indian Army’s Centurian tanks  were: (a) their tank gunners were not even familiar with the  gunnery procedure applicable to the Patton tank and (b) owing to fear of dying by flames, Pakistani tank crew bailed out as soon as their tank was hit even if it had not caught fire and its guns were still functional. 

The story of Arun Khetarpal’s role in the Battle of Basantar, did not end with this thirteen-day war, resulting in the demise of East Pakistan and the creation of the newly liberated Bangladesh. Major Khwaja  Mohammad Nasir, the then a Squadron Commander of  Pakistan Army’s 13^th Lancers, the regiment pitched against Poona Horse, who came bandaged the next day to collect the dead bodies of his fallen comrades, wanted to know more about “ the officer, who stood like an insurmountable rock” and whose troop of three Centurian tanks was responsible for decimation of his entire squadron of  fourteen Patton tanks. His bandages were owing to injuries sustained by him in the final engagement of his and Arun’s tank. 13^th Lancers is the same regiment which exchanged its Sikh squadron with the Muslim squadron of The Poona Horse, during the partition in 1947.

Nasir’s tribute to Arun did not end in the battlefield in December 1971.  Arun’s father, late  Briadier (retd) Madan Khetarpal, then  residing with his wife, Maheshwari, in New Delhi, had for long nursed a desire to visit his hometown, Sargodha, in  Pakistan. Speaking to this writer few years ago, had mentioned that in 2001, when he finally visited  Pakistan, the same Khwaja Mohammad Nasir, then a Brigadier and manager of Pakistan’s cricket team, who  hosted   him. During this visit, Nasir hesitatingly admitted that he was the one at whose hands Arun got killed. “…he (Arun) was singularly responsible for our failure. He was a very brave boy…”, said Nasir to the senior Khetarpal, who even in his sorrow, stoically remained an officer and a gentleman.

Of the 66 gallantry awards conferred on Indian Army’s armoured corps personnel in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, apart from  Arun, who got one of this war’s two Param Vir Chakra, there were three Maha Vir Chakra (one posthumous and one awarded for the second time to the same person), 23 Vir Chakra, one Vishishtha Seva Medal, 17 Sena Medals (including one posthumous) and 21 Mentioned-in –Despatches. The second time Maha Vir Chakra awardee was Brig AS Vaidya, of  The Deccan Horse, who later became Army Chief  and after retirement was killed by Pakistan supported  Khalistani terrorist Harjinder Singh, aka ‘Jinda’, at Pune.   

Twice every year serving and retired officers and their family members assemble in the morning at the traffic roundabout to lay wreathes at the Teen Murti Memorial. Once is during Cavalry Week  on the second or third Saturday in November and the other is on 1^st May celebrated as Armoured Corps Day, which marks the process of mechanization of Indian Cavalry, beginning with The Scinde Horse in 1939. On both these occasions, Sowars of all armoured regiments clad in cavalry ceremonial dress with tall  lances stand around Teen Murti  roundabout, while four Sowars of 61^st Cavalry, the only horse cavalry regiment in the world still maintained, are positioned at the two entrances to the roundabout. All serving and retired Armoured Corps officers and families, who attend this solemn ceremony assemble and lay the wreathes as the Sowars dip their vertically held lances to the left horizontal in time with the Trumpeters sounding  the Last Post , followed by the Armoured Corps Band playing Auld Land Syne.

Teen Murti, the memorial of three bronze statues of Indian cavalry soldiers around a white stone obelisk is how the palatial building where India’s first Prime Minister resided, got its name of Teen Murti Bhavan . Erected  in the centre of  the roundabout road junction just outside the entrance to Teen Murti Bhavan, the statues were sculpted by Leonard Jennings and the memorial was constructed in the memory of to commemorate those killed from the cavalry of the Indian Army during World War I (1914-1919) in battles fought  in Sinai, Palestine and Syria. The three statues represent Sowars (as cavlry and armoured corps soldiers are known) from the three Indian State Forces - Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur- together with detachments from Bhavnagar, Kashmir and Kathiawar, which were part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade.

During World War II, following mechanization of Indian Cavalry, the  31^st Indian Armoured Division was raised and fought with distinction in the Middle East. In 1944 the 50^th , 254^th  and 255^th      Indian tank brigades of the   fought in Burma.

Designed by Robert Tor Russell who was part of Lutyens’ team,  erstwhile Flagstaff House, the British Commander-in-Chief's residence, south of Rashtrapati  Bhavan, erstwhile Governor General’s Lodge and connected to it with a direct vists-South Avenue- became Teen Murti Bhavan, India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru’s residence after Independence. Since his death in 1964, it was made the  Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.