Today in History, 75 yrs ago Shaheed Udham Singh, the freedom fighter had shot dead British official Michael O’Dwyer who’d ordered the the 1919 Jallianwalla Bagh massacre. Singh who had surrendered himself was executed by the British in London and buried inside the prison.

He had travelled to London to avenge Jallianwala Bagh and travelled under the code-name Frank Brazil.

Micheal O’Dwyer was the British Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who approved the action of Brigadier-General R.E.H. Dyer when the Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in Amritsar. He travelled to England to avenge the atrocity and shot O’Dwyer dead in public in a Caxton hall, Westminster.

On the 31st July, 1940, Udham Singh was hanged at Pentonville jail, London. On the 4th of June in the same year he had been arraigned before Mr. Justice Atkinson at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey.

The trial of Udham Singh lasted for two days, he was found guilty and was given the death sentence.

We all continue to derive endless inspiration and love for nation from his life. Let us all remember the great revolutionary and brave hearted “Shaheed Udham Singh” on his martyrdom day.

~ Edited by Tapasleen Kaur

1.Air Commander Mehar Singh – Saviour of Ladakh

Squadron Leader Mehar Singh was conferred the first and the only D.S.O. of the Royal Indian Air Force during World War II.

The moment of his ultimate glory came when he created aviation history by landing the first aircraft on the outskirts of Leh, by the banks of the river Indus.

By January 1948, Pakistan’s armed misadventure was fully contained in the Jammu region as also in the Srinagar valley. But for Mehar Singh’s innovative bombing with Dakotas followed by the landing of the first one at a manually-levelled, mere 600-yard strip at Poonch, that tract of India would have been lost to Pakistan. However, it was the lack of road and aerial access to Ladakh year-long which was now a cause of serious concern. It was evident that for the moment airlift of troops and materials to Ladakh was the only course open. It was equally evident that the only man who could pioneer the aerial landing at Leh was Mehar Singh.

2.Brig. Pritam Singh – Saviour of Poonch

Brig. Pritam Singh is another name of courage, command and bravery. He is the only man to whom the credit goes for saving Poonch and peoples there in. He was named as “Sher Bacha” (A Child having bravery and courage that of Loin) by the elders of that time. This was not only name but also a tribute out of love and from the core of heart. Even today the survivors of that turmoil assert that their life is a gift from Brig. Pritam Singh.

Born in Dina village in Ferozpur, Punjab he was commissioned in Royal Army in 1929 and got elevated to the ranks of Lieutenant, Captain and Major in the years 1931,1935 and 1940 respectively. For his courage and contribution he was decorated with Millitary Cross. Afer being promoted to the rank of Lt Colonel he joined 1 Kumaon (PARA) in 1946.

In 1947-48 Brig. Pritam Singh was commanding 1 Kumaon (PARA) in the operations in Kashmir. After the successful battle of Shalltang 1 Kumaon (PARA) was directed to save Poonch as a part of Poonch Brigade.

In November 21, 1947 Brigadier Pritam Singh leading only 419 soldiers of 1 Kumaon Para entered Poonch to write history of sacrifice, gallantry and heroism.

He had to do impossible job of saving dying refugees, maintaining law and order and fighting with equipped enemy sitting all around.

Brigadier Pritam Singh reorganized the resources he had and led daring attacks on the enemy posts and succeeded in uprooting the settled enemy locations. The operation lasted for almost one long year to bring peace back in Poonch.

3.Flying Officer Nirmaljit Sekhon, PVC- saviour of Srinagar

He was honored the Paramvir Chakra is the highest medal for gallantry of Indian Military.

In December 1971, Pakistan attacked at 14 airfields all across North India to preempt the Indian Air Force. At this time Nirmaljit Singh was posted at the forward base in Kashmir with the squadron named Flying bullets. His plane was an obsolete Gnat. Their airfield was attacked on 14th December 1971.

Only available pilot at this time at Srinagar Base was Nirmal Jit Singh. Flying from Srinagar on Dec 14th, Sekhon single handedly took on all six PAF Sabres. Although eventually overwhelmed, he managed to take score confirmed hits on two of them, and damage on rest of them. Once the Pakistan Sabres ran away he managed to land his Gnat just before his death due to bullets piercing through his body. Param Vir Chakra (the nation’s highest gallantry award) was posthumously awarded to Flag Officer N.J.S. Sekhon.

~ Source: Sikhchic.com, sikh-history.com, poonch.nic.in

The brave heart martyr Sardar Udham Singh who laid down his life for the country and was hanged till death on July 31, 1940, in the United Kingdom.

Udham Singh avenged the death of several innocent people, who died in the Jallianwala massacre, by assassinating the conspirator Michael O-Dwyer on March 13, 1940.

Ironically, the grandson of Udham Singh, Jeet Singh is working as a lowly labourer in Punjab.

It is astonishing that while a man gave up his life for the country, the nation is not even standing by him let alone the compensation. Udham Singh could have sold his consciousness by confessing to the crime to the British government and naming other fellow revolutionaries, but he rather chose to be hanged.

Jeet Singh is living in the Sangrur district of Punjab along with his two sons. Jeet is a labourer and he has to work in demeaning conditions.

-Source: IndiaSamvaad

A Sikh businessman from Ludhiana attended a conference on “French Historical Ties in the Punjab” at the French Embassy in Delhi and sent out a subtle message to the French Govt. to reverse the ban of Turbans in Govt. schools and workplaces. Harjinder Singh Kukreja is one of the few who believe that a tacit message is more effective than protests.

Harjinder, who runs a European Chocolate Café, Belfrance in Ludhiana, presented chocolates to H.E. the French Ambassador, Mr. François Richier and even got a selfie clicked with him. One may either call it the Selfie-diplomacy or Chocolate diplomacy or both but this is a great way through which this Sikh sent across the right message.

The relationship between Punjab and France was initiated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh when French General, Jean Francois joined his army in 1822 in Lahore. It is noteworthy to mention that thousands of Sikhs fought and laid down their lives for France in the World Wars.

Such profound and deep relationships need to be handled with love and compassion. Harjinder Singh Kukreja is doing just that. We pray for better Sikh-French, Franco-Punjab ties in the future.

Every effort counts!

Kudos to Mr Singh for dedicating his efforts on this noble cause!

Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh to unfurl the IndianFlag at Michigan this Independence Day at the function organized by the Indian community on 15th August, where they will honour the legendary sprinter.

Singh will embark upon a month-long visit to the United States and Canada beginning this August the 2nd to participate in the functions.

“For long, the Indian community in the US and Canada wanted me to come. I will be traveling to Michigan, New York, California (in U.S.) and Toronto (Canada). On August 15, a function has been organised by the Indian community at Michigan, where I will unfurl the tricolour,” said Mikha Singh.

Even though it’s difficult for him to undertake long travels given his old age, “yet I could not hold back as our people living abroad wanted me to come and join the celebrations as part of the Independence Day, besides wanting me to be part of some other events.”

~ Source: India Times (With inputs from The Times of India)

Expedia named engineering leader Aman Singh as the new president of its flagship Expedia brand and related businesses, taking over a job that Expedia Inc.

Singh is a five-year Expedia veteran who has made his mark as senior vice president of worldwide engineering, establishing a data-driven, “test and learn” culture in the company’s global tech team, which has grown to 2,000 people across 10 offices. He has also been a key player in Expedia’s acquisition spree, overseeing the integration of companies such as Wotif and Travelocity.

He will become the president of what’s known internally as the Brand Expedia Group, which includes Expedia.com, Travelocity, Wotif, and Expedia’s joint venture with AirAsia, in addition to supporting product development, technology and media for all groups across the company.

He will be dealing with a dynamic competitive landscape in the new role. Following the latest wave of industry consolidation, Expedia and Priceline Group have emerged as the major players in online travel, but larger tech companies including Amazon and Google are increasingly moving into the travel business themselves.

He is pointed to the strong brand and dedicated focus of Expedia as one of its biggest competitive advantages. “If we are insanely focused on this, and we do it well, then it’s tough for a horizontal technology player” to compete effectively against the company, he said.

He grew up in Delhi, India, and traveled frequently as a young child. Although he was trained as a software engineer, his undergraduate degree from Delhi University is in economics, and he has an MBA from Lancaster University. He lives in the Seattle region with his extended family, including his wife and two children and his parents, in addition to his brother’s family. He worked at Washington Mutual and JP Morgan Chase before joining Expedia in 2010.

A champion of the Expedia culture, he shows his pride by wearing yellow running shoes with blue stripes, along with an Expedia lapel pin.

He literally got the engineering team to dance — teaching them a routine to Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” as a way of bringing them together and building camaraderie across their worldwide offices. The dance spread across the company, and even Khosrowshahi ended up joining in. Bhutani proudly showed off a video compilation during a recent interview at Expedia’s headquarters.

~ Source: Geekwire

Many many years ago our Gurus lit the lamp
And the Prakasham was born carrying power of the soul
This light of truth on the lands of five rivers
It orbited and orbited around the sun
Along with the earth that carried it as sindhur
This earthly Prakasham is so powerful
Of human’s universal message of one God
Four hundred orbits gone in no time
The great Prakasham has even out-glowed the Sun
As it orbits all around the sun, even sun bows in enhanced reverence
And salutes the earth, for all that it carries
The Greatest Prakasham of Guru Granth Sahib

~ A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

The army surgeon declared him dead on arrival after being blown by a mortar bomb and sent his wrecked body to a makeshift mortuary. But 25-year-old Major Singh was not ready to die.

A mortar bomb had landed close to him on a Himalayan battlefield, during the 1999 Kargil War on the India-Pakistan border. A mass of bleeding tissue, broken bones and intestines ripped out and his fellow soldiers carried him to the field hospital.

The story of how he wins over death sounds incredible when you see him today, full of vitality

“When I learnt I lost my leg, I told myself that this would be yet another challenge in my life. I just couldn’t get used to the sympathetic glances I used to get from people. After a while, I was desperate to change that,” Singh said.

Now known as the ‘Indian Blade Runner’, he has been running marathons for 16 years.

It was at the mortuary on the mountains that another doctor from the army hospital spotted life in him. The chances of survival for anybody caught within eight yards of a mortar bomb are close to nil. He was embedded with sharapnel all over and his stomach was split wide open. The doctors had no choice but to remove some of his intestines. His leg had to be amputated too. But Major Singh refused to die.

Wafer thin, bedridden and disabled, the Major drew upon the survival instincts and courage that had spurred him to dive to the ground when the bomb landed about a yard and a half from him. Quick thinking had saved his life, but he would now have to learn to live anew.

“This was the start of my second life,” he told YourStory on the sidelines of the India Inclusion Summit in Bangalore. So what if life would never be the same again? It never is anyway. He decided not to think of his battered body as a disability. He looked upon it as a challenge, instead.

He stayed in hospital for almost a year. Hardly anyone believed he would ever walk again. But he thought, “Why just walk? I want to run.”

Major DP Singh’s transformation into the Indian Blade Runner didn’t happen overnight. He was never a runner before the amputation. But, “I wanted to run to inspire myself to go beyond my injuries,” .

Running with his prosthetic leg wasn’t just hard, it was excruciatingly painful. “I refused to crawl. Every time I fell, I took it as a test of perseverance. That way, it is easier to try again,” he recollected.

His first prosthetic limb was better suited for sprints than long distance running. Nevertheless, however agonizing it was, the Major was already running marathons when prosthetics specialists at Hanger Clinic in Oklahoma City chanced upon a video clip of him. They invited him over to fit him with a better prosthetic that allowed him the greater flexibility needed for long distance running.

His goal is to run a full marathon. “When I was injured, I recieved blood from countless people of different castes, creeds and states. With the blood of India running in my veins, I feel I can do everything”, he concludes.

Today, at 39, the Indian Blade Runner has run close to 20 marathons. When he runs, he doesn’t hide his artificial leg. Onlookers often drop their jaws and stare. That doesn’t bother him.

He is also a motivational speaker, inspiring amputees across India. He manages a support group called The Challenging Ones.

“I started this support group to inspire others in a similar predicament. Sports can help build confidence and help overcome the disability,” he said. “People like me are generally called physically challenged. But I believe we are ‘challengers’. The trauma of losing a part of your body is huge. Your family and friends cannot imagine life after amputation. The initial stage where the person realises that s/he has lost a limb is the most difficult. Peer support is crucial.”

His aim is to help amputees find life again. “Make the Challengers break all shackles of dependency and overcome fears of lack of mobility to live as they did earlier. There is no limit,” he says.

~ Source: yourstory