With courage higher than mountains, amputee to run Ladakh marathon

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 3

The Indian Army’s blade runner, Major DP Singh, whose leg was amputated after he was injured in the Kargil war, is going to take part in High Altitude Half Marathon at Ladkah. The 21-km half marathon is scheduled to be held on September 13. The objective of Major Singh is to create awareness about disability and environment. By participating in the half marathon, he also aims at highlighting the demand for “one rank, one pension”, the ongoing struggle of ex-servicemen.

Mojor Singh was in the city to get support of ex-servicemen for the OROP agitation. Major Singh, who is 41 year old, joined Dogra Regiment of the Indian Army in 1997. During the Kargil war, an enemy shell exploded near him in the Chicken-Neck area on July 15, 1999. Bomb splinters led to multi injuries on his body. Doctors had to removed his right leg after it developed gangrene. He recovered from injuries in a few years and left the Army in 2007.

Defying the disability, Major Singh participated in a car rally from Kargil to Kanyakumari in 2005. Then he ran his first half marathon (21 km) in New Delhi in 2007. Major Singh has ran 15 half marathons in various parts of the country. Last year, he took part in half Marthon at Sangla Valley, Himachal Pardesh, on Tibbat border, which is 10,000 metre above the sea level. Now, the track for marathon at Ladkah is 12,000 meter above the sea level.

Major Singh said: “I am on a mission. I want to change the attitude of people towards disability. There is nothing, which we cannot do. I feel that action speaks louder than words, so I choose running to tell people that no one is disabled in this world. Moreover, I feel there is an adventure in this”.

“I am going to run the high altitude half marathon at Ladakh to support the demand for one rank, one pension. The veterans are protesting at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, to get OROP. I think it will be implemented soon and I will celebrate our victory at Ladakh,” he added.

Major Singh claimed that he would be the first amputee who will run the High Altitude Half Marathon at Ladkah.