The Garhwal Rifles – Where Gallantry is a tradition S. D. Sharma*
	17:27 IST

The Garhwal Rifles is a well known combat arm of the Indian Army. During the world wars and the wars fought after Independence, the regiment not only showed exemplary courage but also maintained its unique identity. Mainly comprising of the Garhwali soldiers this regiment fought with great valour during the Kargil war in 1999 as well. More than 25 thousand soldiers of this regiment are presently engaged in the task of national security. Having sacrificed hundreds of lives for the country, this regiment would continue to inspire the coming generations. The Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre at Lansdowne imparts training to about 2000 to 2500 recruits every year and has been playing an important role in providing employment to the youth of the Garhwal region. Prior to 1887 there was no separate battalion of the Garhwali soldiers. They used to be recruited in the Gorkha battalion, Bengal Infantry and Punjab Frontier. Impressed by their honesty, courage and dedication, the British decided to form a separate battalion for Garhwali soldiers. On May 05, 1887 the first battalion was constituted under the command of Lieutenant Colonel E. P. Mainwaring at Almora. On November 04, 1887 this battalion reached Kalundanda in Garhwal. In 1890 Kalundanda was renamed as Lansdowne after the then Viceroy of India. During the First World War, Naik Darban Singh and Rifleman Gabbar Singh were awarded Victoria Cross, the highest battle honour. During the Kotkai war in 1920, Lieutenant W D Kenny of the Garhwal regiment won the third Victoria Cross. While 721 soldiers of the regiment laid down their lives during the First World War, 349 soldiers made their supreme sacrifice during the Second World War. So far the regiment has won 30 Battle Honours of which five were awarded in the post-Independence period. The regiment has participated in all the wars fought after Independence in which 791 soldiers attained martyrdom. The regiment has won one Ashok Chakra, four Mahavir Chakra, 13 Kirti Chakra and 52 Vir Chakra for exceptional gallantry. In the Operation Blue Star of 1984, Naik Bhavani Datt Joshi sacrificed his life while fighting the terrorists in Amritsar and was awarded the Ashok Chakra – the highest gallantry award in peace time. While Lt. Col. Kaman Singh was awarded the Mahavir Chakra during the Indo-Pak War in 1948, Lt. Col. B. M. Bhattacharya and Rifleman Jaswant Singh (posthumously) were awarded the Mahavir Chakra after the Indo-China war of 1962. Captain Chandranarayan Singh was posthumously awarded the Mahavir Chakra after the India-Pakistan war of 1965. Established as a single class regiment, the Garhwal Rifles remained so till 1984. Following a national policy, the 18th Garhwal Joint Battalion was constituted in 1985 along with the merger of companies of Jat, Dogra and Maratha regiments. The 18th Garhwal Joint Battalion was converted into a pure Garhwali battalion in December 1999. Lansdowne at a height of 5800 feet above sea level is the recruitment centre of the Garhwal Battalion. On October 01, 1921 the regimental centre celebrated its first founder’s day. Afterwards, October 1 has been celebrated as the Raising Day of the battalion. After Independence the name of the Centre was changed to Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre. The rigorous drills during the training helps infuse a sense of discipline and its importance in every recruit. Special emphasis is laid on physical fitness, mental toughness and weapon handling by the recruits. After successful completion of 34 weeks’ training, a Garhwali youth is turned into a soldier. The soldier is then trained for two more weeks in counter-insurgency operations. The Regimental Centre is considered as the main source of employment in the region. About 2500 recruits are trained as soldiers every year. Earlier, the recruitments were held only at Lansdowne. But now the recruitments take place at other places in the region as well. The Centre has trained more then 60 thousand soldiers since Independence. At present, over 25 thousand soldiers are serving in different battalions of the Garhwal Rifles. One more chapter was included in the history of Garhwal regiment on November 11, 1923 when Lord Rawlinson of Trent, the then Commander-in-Chief of India, inaugurated the War Memorial at Lansdowne. This War Memorial is a decorated bronze statue of a Garhwali soldier dressed at the time of First World War. The regimental museum has a unique collection of rare articles, stories of valour and historical documents. In 1921 the regiment was conferred the title “Royal” and the soldiers of this regiment were privileged to wear the Scarlet Lanyard on their right shoulder. The Garhwali mess erected in 1982 has its unique identity. Considered as a prominent museum in Asia, it has a rare collection of wild animals’ skin, furniture and trophies. In the lawn of the mess there is a dial presented by Lt. Col. M. B. Robert having arrow marks directing towards Nandadevi, Chaukhamba, Kamet and other snow-clad peaks of the Himalayan range. A view of the regiment’s proud history can also be had from the building that owns beautiful pencil sketches of the various wars fought by the regiment. A rehabilitation and welfare cell has been functioning at the regimental centre to help ex-soldiers, handicapped and dependents of the martyrs in their rehabilitation. The cell has been arranging the remarriage of war widows, providing them reemployment, houses, education of children and pension to the dependent parents. It also provides information about various welfare schemes of the Government. The cell was initially working for the soldiers of the Garhwal regiment but now its area of work has been extended to all soldiers of the Garhwal region. *AIO, PIB, Dehradun