Kulpreet Yadav pens down 'The Battle of Rezang La'

The unsung story of the 1962 Sino-Indian War...

Social Times. Novelist Kuplreet Yadav writes his new book on the Rezang La war, 1962. In the book, Yadav writes about the whole incident which took place during the Sino-Indian war. The 'Charlie' Company of the 13th Kumaon battalion, also known as Ahir Company since almost all of its soldiers were Yadavs from Rewari in Haryana and Alwar in Rajasthan (Ahirwal Area), led by Major Shaitan Singh, fought the battle. The Company was divided into several platoons on one ridge of two kilometres, protecting the airfield of Chushul, which was vital if India was to hold Ladakh. It was attacked on the morning of 18 November, 1962 by approximately 5,000-6,000 Chinese with heavy artillery support. But only 120 Indian soldiers fought with the Chinese there. In this action, 114 soldiers out of a total of 120 were killed, and other 9 were severely injured. Major Shaitan Singh was awarded Param Vir Chakra. At present, the battle field of Rezang La is also known as 'Ahir Dham.'

Though people didn't believe the story, but as Kulpreet's book states, in the first week of February 1963, a Ladakhi shepherd happened to visit Rezang La. The temperature was still fluctuating between minus 10 and minus 20 degrees Celsius, and it was too early for the predators to start hunting for food. The entire moonscape of Rezang La was as white and frigid as it was in the morning of the battle on 18 November 1962. After this, the bodies of the soldiers were found frozen and the story received its due credibility.

Kulpreet told that two of his relatives fought in the war. According to him, there are songs in his village sung by women who tell this story but it was never heard anywhere else. This has made him bring this story to the world. Yadav is also a screenwriter and an actor, currently working on various film projects. The book is available on Amazon, from where readers can buy it.