Param Vir Chakra: Shaitan Singh
Maj. Gen Ian Cardogo
Rishi Kumar
Major Shaitan Singh 13 Kumaon The battle of Rezang La, Ladakh, will long be remembered in the annals of military history because of the incredible heroism displayed by over a hundred Indian soldiers led by Major Shaitan Singh against overwhelming hordes of Chinese. While the Chinese were equipped with modern weapons, Indian troops were armed with the .303 single-action Lee Enfield rifle which was an obsolete and outmoded weapon from the Second World War. Notwithstanding the disadvantages of climate, terrain, and weapons, Major Shaitan Singh and C' Company went all out to defend Rezang La on 18 November 1962. Major Shaitan Singh's leadership and courage inspired and motivated his men to face the enemy.A ceasefire to the Sino-Indian war was declared by the Chinese Army after this battle.
Major General Ian Cardozo was born in Mumbai and studied at St Xavier’s School and College. In July 1954, he joined the Joint Services Wing which later became the National Defence Academy. Here he was the first cadet to win the gold medal for being the best all-round cadet, and the silver medal for being first in order of merit. He was commissioned at the Indian Military Academy into the 1st Battalion the Fifth Gorkha Rifles (FF) in 1958, and was the first officer of the Army to be awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on a patrol in NEFA in 1959. Wounded in the battle of Sylhet in Bangladesh in 1971, he overcame the handicap of losing a leg and became the first war-disabled officer to be approved for command of an Infantry Battalion. He retired in 1993 from his appointment as Chief of Staff of a Corps in the East. Author of The Sinking of INS-Khukri: Survivor’s Stories and Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle, he has worked with the Spastics Society of Northern India and was chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India for nine years. At present he is the Vice President of the War Wounded Foundation.
Rishi Kumar is a graduate from Delhi College of Art in the Applied Art course. He has worked as an illustrator with various advertising and publishing companies. He is currently working as a freelance illustrator. Besides art he has an interest in computer gaming. His name has been acknowledged in the Limca Book of National Records 2016 for his work.
Size Guide
×
Trending Now
