Day 247 of Indian places making you smile – The bravery of army man Jaswant Singh at Sela Pass
We drove through bumpy foggy winding uphill roads of Arunachal Pradesh. We wondered how the military used these primitive roads for transport as we snailed our way upto the top of the foggy mountain roads driving next to the treacherous looking valley just a few feet away.
Our early morning stop was at the spectacular Sela pass at an altitude of 13,700 feet. The striking combination of the cold, the rocky terrain and small lakes gave us a true feeling of being on the edge of the Himalayas. There is a legend of Tse Sela, a brave India girl who misinformed and restricted the Chinese soldiers when questioned about rifleman Jaswant Singh, took two of them to the top of the pass and jumped down along with them.
At our next stop – the Jaswantgarh memorial, we had a true taste of the immense bravery and indomitable spirit of the Indian Army. We got to see the details of the Chinese attack into different corners of Arunachal Pradesh during the different days of Oct-Nov 1962. We actually got to inspect the bunkers and tiny war hideouts from where surprise attacks could be launched on the enemy.
We heard in awe the story of how the brave Indian soldier Jaswant Singh along with his 2 trusted aides refused to leave this post and retreat in the face of Chinese aggression. These 3 Indian warriors held back the Chinese for 3 whole days and caused the death of around 300 Chinese men whose graveyard we passed! But the touching moment was to see the original tree and the actual telephone wire from where Jaswant Singh was tortured, hung and beheaded to death. His head was later returned by the Chinese and his great sacrifice to the nation is remembered and is revered in absolute humility at this sacred spot.
Sitting in the security of the rest of India, we have no idea of the immense effort and the inhospitable conditions that the Indian Army still have to endure, just to keep our internal places safe at the borders from the external aggression! As one of the army Jawans told us, other countries may have advanced equipment, infra structure or technology, but India also has the unparalleled advantage of brave jawans like Baba Jaswant Singh!
So which Indian place made you smile today?
Please share your experience of Indian places that made you smile
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