NEW DELHI,29.09.19-Maj Gen (Retd) GD Bakshi awarded with Shaurya Kala Samman The Kunwar Viyogi memorial Trust in collaboration with the J&K Ex-Services League showcased the documentary ‘1947: The Forgotten Battle of Uri’ at the Tiger cinema in the Jammu Cantt, highlighting the service and sacrifice of independent India’s first war hero, Brigadier Rajinder Singh Jamwal.

The Dogra general was the first recipient of the Mahavir Chakra in independent India. In 1947, he led a band of 100 Dogra warriors and repelled an invasion force of 6000 Pakistani tribals and soldiers. The Brigadier’s operation delayed the advance of the Pakistani force and gave enough time to Maharaja Hari Singh to negotiate and sign the Instrument of Accession which united India with Jammu & Kashmir. The documentary has been developed by Major General GD Bakshi, author, poet and one of India’s foremost defence analysts and military historians.

The screening was attended by GoC of the Tiger Division, Major General Sharad Kapur, J&K Ex- Services League President Major General Goverdhan Singh Jamwal, Jammu University Vice Chancellor Manoj K Dhar, Dogri Sanstha President Dr Lalit Mangotra, KVM Trust founder Poonam Singh Jamwal as well as serving and retired members of the J&K Rifles, curated by CNN-News18 Senior News Editor Ayushman Jamwal.


“Our mission is to promote and preserve the service and legacy of Brigadier Rajinder Singh Jamwal, so every Dogra and Indian does not forget what he did to protect Jammu and Kashmir even before it was a part of the Indian union,” said Major General Goverdhan Singh Jamwal.

Major General GD Bakshi commanded Brigadier Rajinder Singh’s unit of the 6 J&K Rifles and was united with former veterans of the decorated unit at the event.

“The bravery of Brigadier Rajinder Singh Jamwal was unmatched. He was the Chief of Army staff of J&K state forces and led the operation against Pakistan himself,” said Major General GD Bakshi.

“This soldier deserved India’s first Param Vir Chakra and I call on the people of Jammu and Kashmir to join that campaign and never forget how his sacrifice forged the idea of India by playing a critical role in uniting Jammu and Kashmir with the Union. He is a son of Jammu and he remains a shining example of duty and service and gives the most potent challenge to the separatist narrative,” he said.

Major General GD Bakshi was also awarded the KVMT Shaurya Kala Samman for soldier-artists for his outstanding contribution to the arts, broadcasting, scholarship as well as his decorated military career.

The Kunwar Viyogi Memorial Trust founded in the iconic poet’s memory is dedicated to honouring the bravery of the immortal Indian soldier. Group Captain Randhir Singh was a celebrated Dogri poet and decorated soldier, whose service in the Indian Air Force had a profound impact on his writing. His Sahitya Akademi award winning poem ‘Ghar’ highlighted the bravery of the Dogras of Jammu, their valour and service a cornerstone of the spirit of the Indian military.

In 2018, the artists of the Kunwar Viyogi Memorial Trust paid tribute to the armed forces with the dance drama ‘Pryutsu’, a unique fusion of Kathak, Dogri and English poetry, taking the performance to Jaipur, Chandigarh and Srinagar, culminating in a cultural extravaganza at the hallowed Manekshaw Centre in Delhi in the presence of the honourable Army Chief General Bipin Rawat.

The Kunwar Viyogi Memorial Trust endeavours to promote the shaurya of the Brigadier Rajinder Singh Jamwal, so his courage, sacrifice and zeal endures and inspires beyond Jammu to the rest of the nation.
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