High-power dance and martial arts showcased

The Army is known for its valour but high power martial art and dance performances by various regiments showcased one facet of the forces that few know about at the inaugural day of the three-day Military Literature Festival-2019, organised at the Lake Club here.

The show, which left the visitors spellbound, was organised by the Unit 270 of the 474 Engineer Brigade under the leadership of Col Mohammad Rakib with Naib Subedar Bhupinder Singh in charge. Leading the show, 5 Madras Regiment led by Sepoy Ashok Kumar along with a team of 10 Army men enthralled the audience by performing Kalari Payattu, the ancient martial art that originated in Kerala. Khukri, the sharp edged weapon used chiefly by the Gurkhas of Nepal and India, was also on display as a team of 21 performers led by Naib Subedar Nima Tshering Sherpa from 2/5 Gorkha Regiment (Front Fighters), 69 Indian Infantry Brigade (INF BDE) did the Khukri Dance. As for Punjab, it was obviously the Gatka, associated by the Sikhs of Punjab, performed by 22 Punjab Regiment led by Subedar Dalwinder Singh and Naik Jagjit Singh.

He was declared the maharaja of Punjab in 1801 and occupied a kingdom that stretched from the borders of Afghanistan to those of the British Raj, so a special session was justified on the book, Camel Merchant of Philadelphia, by Sarbpreet Singh, which has stories from the court of the Lion of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Interesting facets of the emperor’s relationship with figures such as his mother-in-law Sada Kaur, and the truculent leader of his army, Akali Phoola Singh, came up for discussion on the occasion.

Rain plays spoilsport

Heavy rainfall and gusty winds played spoilsport at the fest on Friday. A few sections, including an organ donation awareness camp, could not attract many visitors as the weather worsened by the evening because of which the crowds thinned. A few of the stalls were dismantled as a precautionary measure too. However, that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the youth. Digvijay Singh, 18, from Panchkula, and four of his friends at the venue said this platform gave them the opportunity to interact with serving soldiers, officers, and veterans.

Want to see what a war hero wore?

The uniforms and awards of Late Lt Gen Sagat Singh, (14 July 1918 – 26 September 2001), who played an important role in the liberationof Goa and during the Bangladesh War, have been exhibited at the military fest.

Col Ran Vijay Singh (retd), son of the celebrated Army officer and his lawyer daughter Meghna Singh, travelled from their home town Jaipur to set up the exhibition. “The valour of my father inspired me and through his achievements I want to inspire the youngsters to join the forces,” Col Ran Vijay said.

Lt Gen Sagat Singh served in the Middle East during World War-II broke out and was later absorbed in the Indian Army.

Don’t miss the medals

An engineer and grandson of a Military Engineering Service officer, Narinderpal Singh has exhibited old and rare medals. A collector of rare weapons, manuscripts, and coins for the past 32 years, Narinderpal has sourced War medals from World War-I to the Kargil war through jewellers and auctions and from families of soldiers. “I have around 500 such medals and some of them have been sold by the second and third-generation families of the officers who have received them,” the collector said. He plans to set up a museum of his antiques soon.