A saviour off the battlefield too

Brig SS Ahluwalia (retd), VrC

Brig SS Ahluwalia (retd),  VrC

A great soldier and a great warrior, who won a heroic battle in the sand dunes of Laungewala near Jaisalmer in December 1971 war, left us last Saturday. The battle at Laungewala was a ‘touch and go’ affair for India. An armoured force of over a Brigade, had outflanked Indian forces in the desert and was heading for Ramgarh on a cold night in December. They had a smooth trek for 35 kms across the desert were headed for Laungewala, where they found a young Indian Major with a small company sized force, standing like a rock, between them and victory. With the help of the Indian Air Force, the whole enemy force was not one stopped but destroyed completely.

JP Datta, the film maker, picked up this story for making a feature film “Border”. The movie became an instant hit with Indian audiences and an inspiration for younger generations. My association with Brig Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri started after I had retired and settled in Chandigarh. He was a very versatile person, with many diverse interests and accomplishments. He was then a Councillor in Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh. Hordes of people visited his house every evening for speeding up their work with the Municipal Corporation. He would reach out to everyone patiently and helped them, in their problems. I was amazed to see his patience and positive attitude.

Kuldeep’s interests were as diverse as his personality. From organising ‘Dog Shows’ in Chandigarh to umpiring sporting meets, he took everything in his stride. He was an international level judge in athletics and went to Asian and Commonwealth Games as a judge. We often met at meetings of ‘War Decorated India’, which was looking after widows of gallantry award winners of Chakra series like Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra. It will be a surprise to most Indian, that nearly 65 percent of these awards are granted posthumously. A few years back Kuldeep had become Vice President of this NGO. He reached out to every widow across the country, who needed help, and knew most of them by name. His compassion for the weak was almost passionate.

Kuldeep had simple habits in his life, but worked tirelessly for the needy and people in distress. Even after nearly 20 years of retirement, ex-servicemen and serving soldiers hold him in high esteem. He was a beacon of hope for all those who were hopeless, and needed consoling words. His human touch was quite in contrast with his soldierly prowess and his gallantry in the face of enemy. May his soul live forever.

— The writer, a 1971 Indo-Pak war veteran, is General Secretary of the War Decorated India