The story of Jaswant Singh Rawat- Hero of the Indo-Sino war 1962

A new destination, a new story... 

I came to know about this one when I was in Arunachal Pradesh- a truly beautiful destination. Every view is so mesmerizing that no matter how many pictures you click, you simply can never have enough. The beauty is enough to make one fall in love with it instantly. 

But in all this mesmerizing beauty, so many heartbreaking, "not so famous" stories are hidden.  This one is about a brave soldier of the Indian army- A hero of the Indo- Sino war 1962.  

Hon Captain Jaswant Singh Rawat- a 22-year-old Indian soldier of 4 Garwal rifles, who won the Maha Vir Chakra at The Battle of Nuranang during the 1962 India-China war. 

   According to the legend, this brave young man single-handedly fought the Chinese army for 3 days. It was the last phase of the war in November 1962 and due to the lack of resources, the company was asked to fall back. But Jaswant Singh refused to give up and remained at his post. A Chinese medium machine gun (MMG) was located at a point close to the company. Hence, Jaswant Singh, Trilok Singh Negi, and Gopal Singh Gusain went after the Chinese army and by throwing grenades at the bunkers, they killed several Chinese soldiers. 

Later, while crawling back to safety Trilok and Gopal got severely injured, but they still managed to drag the MMG to the Indian post. Meanwhile, Jaswant killed around 300 Chinese soldiers but unfortunately, he got shot by one right in the heart.

    

 It is believed that the Chinese soldiers were so intimidated by the bravery of our young Jaswant Singh Rawat that after they killed him, they captured and beheaded him to celebrate their victory and the death of Jaswant.

After they chopped his head off, they placed it on a tree near the border. The tree is now placed in the memorial called Smriti Sthal built for Jaswant Singh Rawat with all of his belongings like uniform and other items. Although the significance of this memorial is the tree, there are also photographs of the Commanding officer and the other martyrs who played an important role in the battle of Nuranang.

The tree where the Chinese army placed Jaswant's chopped head.

Jaswant Singh Rawat's uniform and other personal items

 22-year-old Jaswant Singh Rawat is not the only young brave soldier who died serving his country. He alone fought and killed around 300 Chinese soldiers who had much more advanced weapons. Indian history has so many young soldiers who fought fearlessly and gave their lives protecting our country whose stories were never told or maybe we are unaware. 

A big salute to all those courageous young lads who sacrificed their lives to protect ours!

Please leave your opinions in the comment section below. Thank you for reading my blog!

The Legend of Nohkalikai

A few months ago I was exploring North East when I came across this beautiful waterfall called the Nohkalikai waterfall in Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya. 

Located at just a few kilometers from the main the town, this place is considered to be one the tallest plunging waterfalls and a famous and important place to visit in Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya. 

    Although we drove to the location, we had to hike for a small distance. Once we reached the viewpoint, we were amazed by the jaw-dropping beauty in front of our eyes- a panoramic view of the falls, cascading down into a pool- like formation.  

The literal meaning of the word Nohkalikai is "the jump of Ka Likai." We didn't hire any guide because there was always one available with some random group so we would just eavesdrop every time a guide was telling the importance of the place. That's when I acknowledged the terrifying story of this gorgeous place.

      Ka likai was a widow with a baby daughter who lived in a village near the falls. She remarried so that her daughter can experience the love of a father, but the new husband hated the daughter as Ka Likai's entire attention was given to her child and her work. 

      One regular afternoon Ka Likai came home after work, her husband surprised her. He cooked lunch for her and insisted she immediately settle down and enjoy the meal. Assuming her daughter was playing somewhere, Ka Likai sat down and enjoyed her food. Later, while cleaning the house she picked up a basket and found little fingers in it. It was then she realized what had happened. The jealous husband had killed her daughter and cooked the child's flesh as a meal for Ka Likai. 

      Filled with the self-rage of consuming her child's flesh as a meal and the grief of the death of her little girl, Ka Likai jumped from the cliff of the falls and killed herself... Hence the name, "Nohkalikai- the jump of Ka Likai"

     The story shocked me to the core and I imagined the pain this young woman must have felt after realizing what her husband had done to her and her child. The pain and grief of losing a child are too much for a mother but unknowingly eating the flesh of her child as a meal is just an unexplainable amount of grief, pain, and self-rage.

The husband wasn't just cruel but also psychotic. It is simply terrifying what jealousy can do to a person.

 Please mention your opinions about the story in the comments. Thank you for reading my blog!