A Story of Valour, Recollected and Narrated

NURANANG DAY, 17^TH NOV HELD AT DEHRA DUN

The veterans of ‘Fighting Fourth’ Garhwal Rifles commemorated the 50^th anniversary of Nuranang Day, which was awarded to the battalion as the only Battle Honour for operations in the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), present Arunachal Pradesh; at the Defence Sainik Institute, Dehra Dun on 17^th Nov 2012. The gathering comprised a collection of senior veterans of the unit, their wives and the mother of the valorous Jaswant Singh Rawat, MVC (posthumous) whose deeds of dauntless courage and sacrifice are immortalised in the annals of military history. The event was presided over by none other than the nonagenarian ex commanding officer of the unit, Lt Col Inder Singh Rawat, KC who was given the onerous responsibility of putting it back on rails, after the ravaging happenings of the 1962 Sino – Indian war. Also present were the wife and daughter of Col Hasta Bahadur Rai, who had participated in the war and discharged his responsibilities as a company commander with great fortitude.

The proceedings were held in a very befitting, precise and solemn manner, as will do proud to any commemorative military event held anywhere. Rfn Jaswant Singh, MVC (posthumous) whose legend today lives on to inspire the ‘Garhwalis’ and others in service of their motherland, has immortalised himself in the memorial which exists in Nuranang, later re named as JASWANTGARH in his honour. The spirit which pervaded the event was full of unprecedented and singular camaraderie, while recollecting the saga of exceptional bravery, doughty courage and extreme professionalism; as was displayed by the unit in those very trying and difficult times and as recorded in the pages of the Regiment’s history. The veterans, who had come in large numbers from all over in Uttarakhand, resolved to make this commemoration into an annual event and approved the establishing of a Trust Fund, essentially to help organize it with due military propriety. It was a matter of great pride for all those who were present that, while they were here in a spirit of brotherhood and solidarity, the Colonel of the Regiment of Garhwal Rifles and Garhwal Scouts, Lt Gen Ata Hasnain, who is the Military Secretary and a principal staff officer to the Chief of Army Staff, was laying a wreath at the JASWANTGARH memorial in Arunachal Pradesh.

The unit had suffered very heavy casualties in this war, which included 3 Officers, 4 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), 148 Other Ranks (Ors) and 7 Non Combatants (Enrolled), killed in action. The battalion received the following gallantry awards -:

Maha Vir Chakra

Lt Col B M Bhattacharjea (CO)

Rfn Jaswant Singh Rawat (Posthumous)

Vir Chakra

2^nd Lt V K Goswami (Posthumous)

2^nd Lt S N Tandon

Sub Udai Singh Rawat

Jem Jatan Singh Gusain

U/P/L Nk Trilok Singh Negi (Posthumous)

Rfn Gopal Singh Gusain

Rfn Madan Singh Rawat (Posthumous)

Sena Medal

Nk Ranjit Singh Gusain

Mention in Despatches

Jem Gabar Singh Rawat

It will also be pertinent to mention here that 4 Garhwal Rifles, which has a proud history of gallantry, has also acquired for itself the singular honour of having represented the Indian Army in the CAMBRIAN PATROL on three occasions, which is held in England as a test of junior level professionalism in the Army’s of the world and won a Bronze and Silver medal. The battalion is surely a crowning glory of not only the Garhwal Regiment but the Indian Army.  

Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal

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