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Major Somnath Sharma, PVC (31 January 1923 – 3 November 1947), of the Indian Army, was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest military decoration.[1]

Sharma was commissioned into the 8th Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment, in 1942. He served in Burma during the Arakan Campaign of World War II, for which he was mentioned in despatches. Fighting in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948, Somnath Sharma was martyred on 3 November 1947 while repulsing Pakistani infiltrators near Srinagar Airport; for his gallantry and sacrifice in this battle of Badgam, he was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra.

Early life

Sharma was born on 31 January 1923 at Dadh, Kangra, then in the Punjab Province of British India, the present day state of Himachal Pradesh. His father, Amar Nath Sharma, was a military officer.[lower-alpha 1][2] Several of his siblings served in the military.[1][lower-alpha 2]

Sharma completed his schooling at Sherwood College, Nainital, before enrolling at the Prince of Wales Royal Military College in Dehradun. He later studied at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[3] During his childhood, Somnath was influenced by the teachings of Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, taught to him by his grandfather.[2]

Military career

Am 22. Februar 1942, nach seinem Abschluss am Royal Military College, wurde Sharma in das 8. Bataillon des 19. Hyderabad-Regiments der britisch-indischen Armee (später das 4. Bataillon der indischen Armee, das Kumaon-Regiment) berufen. Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs erlebte er während der Arakan-Kampagne in Burma Aktionen gegen die Japaner. Zu dieser Zeit diente er unter dem Kommando von Oberst K. S. Thimmayya, der später in den Rang eines Generals aufstieg und von 1957 bis 1961 Chef des Armeestabs wurde. Sharma wurde in den Absendungen für seine Aktionen während der Kämpfe der Arakan-Kampagne erwähnt.

Throughout his military career, Sharma was greatly influenced by his uncle Captain K. D. Vasudeva's gallantry in action. Vasudeva also served with the 8th Battalion, participating in the Malayan Campaign during which he died aiding hundreds of soldiers under his command to survive from the Japanese offensive.[2]

Battle of Badgam

On 27 October 1947, a batch of troops of the Indian Army was deployed in response to the invasion by Pakistan on 22 October into the Kashmir Valley. On 31 October, D Company of 4th Battalion of Kumaon Regiment, under the command of Sharma, was airlifted to Srinagar. During this time, his left hand was in a plaster cast as a result of injuries sustained previously on the hockey field, but he insisted on being with his company in combat and was subsequently given permission to go.[1]

On 3 November, a batch of three companies was deployed to the Badgam area on patrol duties. Their objective was to check the infiltrators moving toward Srinagar from the north. As there was no enemy movement, two of the three deployed companies returned to Srinagar at 2:00 pm. However, Sharma's D Company, was ordered to stay in position until 3:00 pm. At 2:35 pm, Sharma's company was fired upon from the local resident houses in Badgam but counter-fire was not ordered to avoid injuring or killing innocent civilians. Suddenly, a tribal lashkar (English: militiamen) of 700 infiltrators approached Badgam from the direction of Gulmarg. D Company was soon surrounded from three sides and sustained heavy casualties from mortar fire. Sharma realized the importance of holding onto his position as both the city of Srinagar and the airport would be vulnerable if lost. Under heavy fire, and outnumbered by a ratio of seven to one, he urged his company to fight bravely, often exposing himself to the enemy fire as he ran from one post to the other.[1]

When heavy casualties adversely affected the company's firing power, Sharma took upon himself the task of distributing ammunition to his men, operating light machine guns. While busy fighting the infiltrators, a mortar shell exploded on a pile of ammunition near him.[1] Before he succumbed to his injuries, he transmitted a message to his brigade's headquarters which read:

By the time a relief company, from the 1st Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment, reached Badgam, the position held by Sharma's company had been overrun. However, the 200 casualties suffered by the tribal infiltrators caused them to lose the impetus to advance. This bought time for Indian forces to fly into Srinagar airfield and block all routes of ingress to Srinagar itself.[2] During the battle, along with Sharma, one junior commissioned officer and 20 other ranks of D company were killed.[1] Sharma's body was recovered three days later. Though it was disfigured beyond recognition, his body was identified by means of the leather holster of his pistol and a few pages of Bhagavad Gita in his chest pocket.

Param Vir Chakra

On 21 June 1950, Sharma's award of the Param Vir Chakra, for his actions on 3 November 1947 in defending the Srinagar airport, was gazetted. This was the first time the honour had been awarded since its inception.[4] Coincidentally, Savitri Khanolkar, the mother-in-law of Sharma's brother, was the designer of the Param Vir Chakra.[7][5] The official citation reads:

Legacy

Sharma's statue at Param Yodha Sthal, National War Memorial, New Delhi
Major Somnath Sharma's name on the Tyag Chakra (Circle of Sacrifice), National War Memorial, India.

In the 1980s, the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), a Government of India enterprise under the aegis of the Ministry of Shipping, named fifteen of their crude oil tankers in honour of the Param Vir Chakra recipients. The crude oil tanker named MT Major Somnath Sharma, PVC was delivered to SCI on 11 June 1984. The tanker was phased out after 25 years service.[6]

In popular culture

The first episode of the TV series on the lives of Param Vir Chakra winners, Param Vir Chakra (1988) covered Sharma's actions of 3 November 1947. In that episode, his part was played by Farooque Sheikh. The episode was directed by Chetan Anand.[7]

Notes

FootnotesVorlage:ReflistCitationsVorlage:Reflist

External links

  1. SOMNATH SHARMA | Gallantry Awards. In: Gallantry Awards, Government of India. Archiviert vom Original am 16 December 2017. Abgerufen im 15 December 2017.
  2. a b c d The soldier who won India's first Param Vir Chakra. In: Rediff. Archiviert vom Original am 11 December 2016. Abgerufen im 24 September 2016.
  3. Veer Gatha – The Forgotten Warriors | Major Somnath Sharma. In: The Frustrated Indian. 18 July 2014. Abgerufen im 24 September 2016.
  4. 11 Facts You Need To Know About The Param Vir Chakra. Archiviert vom Original am 17 September 2016. Abgerufen im 24 September 2016.
  5. Priya Aurora: 7 Facts Average Indian Doesn't Know About Param Vir Chakra. In: Topyaps. 27 December 2013. Archiviert vom Original am 20 September 2016. Abgerufen im 24 September 2016.
  6. Vessel details for: Major Somnath Sharma PVC (Crude Oil Tanker) – IMO 8224107, MMSI – 8224107. In: Marine Traffic. Archiviert vom Original am 7 January 2017. Abgerufen im 14 December 2016.
  7. Madhu Jain: Mandi House hardsells Kashmir in its serial 'Gul Gulshan Gulfam'. 15 August 1990. Archiviert vom Original am 14 August 2014. Abgerufen im 13 August 2014.