Seventeen war widows and mothers of 1/11 Gorkha Rifles personnel who laid down their lives for the country, were honoured on the last day of the two-day golden jubilee celebrations of the Rifles in Lucknow on Wednesday.
The “veer naris” were felicitated by Lt. Gen. G. M. Nair, Colonel of the Regiment, in the Surya auditorium in Lucknow Cantonment. The function was attended by several serving and retired officers of 1/11 GR, jawans and their families.
Among those present were Lt. Gen. (retd.) Sushil Kumar, the first Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier K. M. Nair and Colonel Lalit Rai of Kargil fame.
Colonel Rai presented a cheque of Rs. 3.5 lakh towards scholarship and educational aid of the jawans.
Mementos presented
A first-day cover brought out by the Army Postal Services commemorating the golden jubilee of the battalion was released by Lt. Gen. Nair, who also presented mementos to members of the Trishul Expedition. A golden jubilee magazine was released by the Colonel of the Regiment.
Addressing the gathering, Lt. Gen. Nair stressed on the need for developing leadership skills in juniors and making them strong. He emphasised the standard of training, standard operating procedure, fitness and administration.
Stating that he had complete faith in the capabilities of his personnel, Lt. Gen. Nair said he was privileged to preside over the golden jubilee celebrations of 1/11 GR.
‘Sainik sammelan'
At a ‘sainik sammelan' to mark the occasion, which was attended by former and serving officers, the speakers said 1/11 GR is the only battalion in the world to have earned so much fame in the first 50 years of its existence. It has won over 100 honours and awards, including the Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra, for which 1/11 GR has earned the title of ‘Bravest of the Brave'.
Special mention was made of the sacrifices made by Captain Manoj Pandey, from Lucknow, during the 1999 Kargil war, and Lieutenant Puneet Dutt during anti-insurgency operations in the North-East. Both were from 1/11GR.
Before the main function began, a wreath was laid at the war memorial of 1/11GR by Lt. Gen. Nair in honour of the martyrs who laid down their lives for their country.
Golden jubilee
The two-day jubilee celebrations began on Tuesday with a Central Mandir programme for serving and retired ranks at the Unit Mandir. This was followed by a golden jubilee “mela,” a golden jubilee “barakhana” and a variety programme.
Raised on September 1, 1960 at Clement Town in Dehra Dun (now in Uttarakhand ) by Lt. Colonel K.D. Tiwari, the 1/11 GR is one of the most gallant and highly decorated battalions of the Army.
The battalion has taken part in the Operations titled Orchid, Cactus Lily, Pawan, Bajrang, Rhino, Hifazat, Rakshak, Meghdoot and Vijay. It was instrumental in the capture of Khalubar in the Batalik Sector in Kargil during Operation Vijay in 1999.
