From battlefront to chasing continental glory
CHANDIGARH: Raised on tales of valour from the 1965 Battle of Asal Uttar – described as the largest tank battle since World War II – the youth of this eponymous village have always had a thing for the olive green. Over the years with shrinking land holdings, the army has become a major source of livelihood.
Not a bad career option for people in this remote corner of Punjab’s western district of Tarn Taran that is seven kilometers from the border.
So, Malkeet Singh, 23, became a soldier. He also has a strong physique and is above six feet tall. That gave him the chance to try his hand at a sport he had never heard of before. Malkeet is part of the Indian men’s rowing team for the 18th Asian Games starting on Saturday.
“Earlier, I had no idea about rowing and I started pursuing the sport only after joining the army,” said Malkeet. “From childhood, we would hear tales of the battle and the entire village is proud of the fact that it was fought and won here. And, as most families face dwindling land holdings because it gets divided among growing families, joining the army becomes an obvious choice,” said Malkeet’s elder brother Badsha also a soldier.
MAKING IT TO THE ARMY
Between September 8-10 every year, a fair is organised to mark the martyrdom of Param Vir Chakar Abdul Hamid in Asal Uttar. “Senior army officials visit our village to pay homage and every time they announce that the village’s youth, who are physically fit, are welcome in the army. Every year, around 10-15 make it,” said Badsha.
Malkeet joined after completing school and was picked to pursue rowing. In his first year, Malkeet won gold in the national championship (in 2015). “We are confident that he will make the country proud,” said Badsha.
ROWING, A LAUNCH PAD FOR BETTER LIFE
Like Malkeet, Olympian Swaran Singh, who hails from village Dalelwala in Mansa district of Punjab, had no idea about rowing till he was enlisted in 2009. “When I heard the word for the first time, my reaction was, ‘what is rowing,’” he said. In Jakarta, he will be eyeing his second successive medal. In Incheon four years ago, Swaran had won silver.
Recalling his first brush with the sport, Swaran said: “I picked up the sport only because of my height. The army team was looking for boys above 185cm. I was tall and fit, so my seniors recommended my name.
“The sport has earned me recognition and because of the cash incentives that I got for winning international medals, I have contributed to building a decent house for my family.”
Apart from Malkeet and Swaran, five – Sukhmeet Singh (village Kishangarh Farwahi in Mansa), Bhagwan Singh (village Thatthi Bhai in Moga), Manpreet Singh (village Datta in Moga), Jagvir Singh (village Khurda in SBS Nagar) and Gurinder Singh (village Dharamgarh in Mohali) – others from Punjab have made it to the Asian Games squad. All seven are from rural areas and learnt sailing only after joining the army.
Barring two civilians, everyone in the rowing squad is from the army.
“Earlier, the rowers from South India used to dominate even within the army as being from coastal areas they knew the sport. But now, most of the rowers in the squad are from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and none of them had prior experience. They are able to make it big purely because of their height and endurance,” said a coach at the Army Rowing Node in Pune.
STURDY MEN FROM PUNJAB LEARN THE SPORT AFTER BEING ENLISTED AND ARE NOWPARTOFTHE ASIAN GAMES SQUAD