Page 6 - NIS 01-15 JAN 2022 English

Personality Naib Subedar Bana Singh

NAIB SUBEDAR BANA SINGH:

WHOSE FEISTY COURAGE

MADE THE WORLD'S HIGHEST

'QUAID POST'; 'BANA' POST

Born: 6 January 1949

In 1987, the strategically important Siachen area had been infiltrated by the Pakistani
forces. They had captured an important position, which they called "Quaid post". Small,
but invincible ; the post covered with white snow far and wide was 21 thousand feet higher
than the surrounding earth.. From this post, the Pakistani troops now had a clear view of
the glacier and India’s defence posts.

t was a great challenge for the Indian army to When Narendra Modi reached Siachen on
capture it. A team was formed to free the post the first Diwali after becoming PM…
Ifrom the clutches of the enemy. Knowing well
that it was a very difficult task, Naib Subedar Our heroes living in these outposts in Siachen
live like the Eskimos who live in igloos at the
Bana Singh himself proposed his name for the North Pole. A deserted kingdom of ice far and
mission. He not only joined the team, but later the wide all around. The silence of the wilderness.
leadership of the detachment was also handed Indian soldiers guard their posts on these snowy
over to him. hills. The name of the land filled with white snow
Siachen's severe climate coupled with intense is Siachen, which means collection of roses.
snow storms, temperatures near minus 50 After becoming the Prime Minister, Narendra
degrees and lack of oxygen were the biggest Modi celebrated the first Diwali with soldiers in
threats to survival. It was around five in the Siachen itself. On the occasion, Modi had said,
morning. Bana Singh had reached the last stop "Unless one sees these icy glaciers, where the
along with his companions. jawans are positioned in minus 30-40 degrees,
The team approached the Quaid Post from an one cannot imagine how our army, our jawans,
unexpected direction, using a longer and more in the midst of so many difficulties, and in the
difficult approach . There was a blizzard, resulting midst of difficult terrain, make effort to protect
in poor visibility, which gave cover to the Indian the motherland."
soldiers. After reaching the top, Bana Singh found
that there was a single Pakistani bunker. He on 6 January 1949 in Kadial district of Jammu
lobbed a grenade into the bunker and closed the and Kashmir. His father Amar Singh was a farmer,
door, killing those inside. The two sides also got but was greatly influenced by military life. It was
involved in a hand-to-hand combat, in which the because many of his relatives were serving in
Indian soldiers bayoneted some of the Pakistani the army. He wanted that sometime Bana Singh
soldiers outside the bunker. A few Pakistani should also join the army to accord him a sense
soldiers jumped off the peak. Eventually, Bana of pride. Whenever the soldiers who came on
Singh eliminated the enemies from there and the leave would meet or see Bana Singh, he used to
post came back into the possession of the Indian be very happy and used to say – I like this uniform
Army. too, I will also wear it and serve the country. This
The story of Paramveer Bana Singh of joining wish of Bana Singh was fulfilled on his 20th year
the army is also interesting. Bana Singh was born exactly on his birthday.

4 New India Samachar January 1-15, 2022