Lt. Gen Bhopinder Singh (Retd)
Unknown to the author when he published his article Withering fate of Jammu/ Dogras (7th Dec), there was a write up by Prof RR Sharma Amazing Visions of Jammu: Janus Faced (28th Nov)in the Daily Excelsior critiquing the author’s earlier article Branding Jammu; The Most Valourous City of India (3rd Jun). While disagreeing with the author’s postulated hypothesis of selecting a Unique-Selling-Propo-sition (USP) for Jammu is part of a healthy, intellectual and necessary debate – however, misquoting from the article and its suppositions, is not appropriate.
Prof Sharma misrepresents in his article that the author had referenced Kolkata and some other cities as examples of potentially Valourous cities by writing, “There are several cities is India, which have to their credit their valourous legends. Their names are mentioned by Gen. Bhupinder Singh such as, “Hyderabad, Varanasi, Chandigarh, Kolkota” Most hilarious is his description of Kolkota H
Wazir Zorawar Singh From Ganges to Mansarovar
Wazir Zorawar Singh From Ganges to Mansarovar
Nagendra Singh Jamwal
It was an age when the Indian ruling elite was lying prostrate before a scheming East India Company or quarrelling among themselves. In an era marred by shifting loyalties and court intrigues, three great men rose on the historical canvas of North West India. Each one of them – Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Raja Gulab Singh and Wazir Zorawar Singh, had a shared destiny.
Of the three great men, the rise and exploits of Wazir Zorawar Singh were the most adventurous. Born in a hill principality of Kahlur in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, the sixteen year old left his ancestral lands after a family feud. It is said that he came to Haridwar, the most sacred pilgrim site on the banks of Ganges. A holy dip in the Ganges transformed the young man still burdened by the family feud into a fierce warrior but with a calm head. Initially entering into the service of Rana J
Trans-Himalayan campaigns of Gen Zorawar Singh
Col J P Singh
Gen Zorawar Singh was born on 15 April 1786 at Kahlur, in neighboring Himachal. Later as General of Jammu Raja Gulab Singh, he launched Trans-Himalayan campaigns starting on 15 April 1834 with an army of 5000 and within 8 years conquered Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Western Tibet. His Martyrdom on 12 December 1841 ended a saga of remarkable valour of a legendary military commander who took Indian boundaries up to Central Asian Republics. But Prof. R R Sharma’s article “Amazing Vision of Jammu : Janus Faced” in Daily Excelsior on 28 – 11- 2020, wherein he has belittled Gen Zorawar Singh and cast aspersions on those military historians who have called him ‘Napoleon of the East’, left me nonplussed. That prompts me to highlight his Trans-Himalayas conquests to undo the damage done by Prof Sharma. Prof Sharma says, “Gen Zorawar Singh won the battles against smaller forces. When confronted with a large force he s