Nowshera, today in news,is a tehsil in the Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir.
Deepavali, the festival, is all about happiness .. .. the way to celebrate is a simple routine. The purpose of the festival is to be happy and make others happy by sharing – sweets, food, crackers and more – simply spread the happiness. Deepavali brings cheers and happiness. What do you on Deepavali day ? – visit near and dear, distribute sweets and be happy .. .. and in the melee, you may not have read this tweet which meaningfully read :
Somewhere on the LoC far away from his family, a soldier stands in harm’s way.He carries his familyin his wallet .. .. a fading photograph .. .. so that we can spend Diwali with our family.Today, when you pray, light a diya for his safety.Happy Diwali – moving message indeed !.. .. and I did !- and more than happy to know our great Prime Minister celebrates Deepavali with army jawans at various posts. Great !
The man who tweeted is a very illustrious army person .. .. Captain Bana Singh, a Param Vir Chakra winner and it is imperative that we know more of him.
Captain Bana Singh is an illustrious solider, recipient of the nation's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. As a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army, he led the team that wrested control of the highest peak on the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir from Pakistani forces as part of Operation Rajiv. Following his success, India renamed the peak (previously designated as Quaid Post by the Pakistanis) to Bana Post in his honor.
Bana Singh was born in Kadyal, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir on 6 January 1949. His father was a farmer and his uncles were soldiers in the Indian Army. He joined the Indian Army in 1969 and began service with the 8th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. He was trained at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg and at another school at Sonamarg.
In 1987, the strategically important Siachen area had been infiltrated by the Pakistani forces. The Pakistanis had captured an important position, which they called "Quaid post" (from Quaid-e-Azam, the title of Muhammad Ali Jinnah). The post was located at a height of 6500 metres on the highest peak in the Siachen Glacier area.From this feature the Pakistanis could snipe at Indian army positions since the height gave a clear view of the entire Saltoro range and Siachen glacier. On 18 April 1987, the Pakistanis from Quaid Post fired on the Indian troops at Point Sonam (6,400 m), killing two soldiers. The Indian Army then decided to evict the Pakistanis from the Post. Naib Subedar Bana Singhposted in Siachen as part of the 8th JAK LI regiment, was given the task of capturing the Quaid Post. In one attempt 10 soldiers lost their lives. After a month of preparation, the Indian Army launched a fresh operation to capture the post. This operation, called "Operation Rajiv" in honor of 2/Lt Rajiv Pande, was headed by Major Varinder Singh.
A 5-member team led by Nb Sub Bana Singh successfully captured the Quaid post on 26 June 1987. Nb Sub Bana Singh and his fellow soldiers, including Chuni Lal, climbed the steep 457 m high wall of ice. The team approached the Quaid Post from an unexpected direction, using a longer and more difficult approach than the other teams. There was a blizzard, resulting in poor visibility, which gave cover to the Indian soldiers. After reaching the top, Nb Sub Bana Singh found that there was a single Pakistani bunker. He lobbed a grenade into the bunker and closed the door, killing those inside. The two sides also got involved in a hand-to-hand combat, in which the Pakistani soldiers bayoneted some of the Indian soldiers outside the bunker. A few Indian soldiers jumped off the peak.
On 26 January 1988, Nb Sub Bana Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal in India for his bravery during Operation Rajiv. The peak which he captured was renamed Bana Top in his honor. At the time of the Kargil War, he was the only PVC awardee who was still serving in the Army.In 1992, he was promoted as Subedar and later Subedar Major and given honorary rank of Captain at his retirement, in 2000.His son Rajinder Singh joined the Indian army in 2008 at the age of 18 !
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji today extended greetings to people on the occasion of Diwali and wished for the festival to bring "happiness, prosperity and good fortune." "Greetings to the countrymen on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. I wish that this festival of lights brings happiness, prosperity and good fortune in your life. Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali," the Prime Minister tweeted.
Today our illustrious Prime Minister Narendra Modiji met soldiers at Nowshera sector in the border district of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of Diwali. “I want to spend Diwali with family members so I join you on festival,” Mr. Modi said while addressing soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector. “Your capability, strength ensure peace and security for country,” he added.Since taking over as Prime Minister, Mr. Modi has met troops in a border region on Diwali, starting from a visit to Siachen in 2014.
Happy Diwali to all, do include our Army Jawans in your prayers and light a Diya for their safety.Jai Jawan
With regards – S. Sampathkumar4th Nov.2o21.