"Badluram Ka Badan" ("Badluram's Body") is the regimental song of the Assam Regiment of the Indian Army. Major M. T. Proktor created the song in honour of Rifleman Badluram, a soldier of the Assam Regiment of the British Indian Army who died while fighting against the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. After Badluram's death, the quartermaster Sub Kandarpa Rajbongshi IDSM (Indian Distinguished Service Medal) did not remove his name from the rations roster and the company continued to draw rations in Badluram's name. This extra ration helped the company survive through a siege when Japanese troops surrounded them during the Battle of Kohima and supplies were cut. Accordingly, the song was composed in Badluram's honour with the lyrics "We get rations because Badluram's body is buried beneath".
Background
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Badluram was a rifleman in the 1st Battalion, Assam Regiment of the British Indian Army.[1] In 1944 the 1st Assam Regiment was posted in and around Kohima and were part of the first line of defence between the Fifteenth Army, a formation of the Imperial Japanese Army led by Lt. Gen. Renya Mutaguchi, and the rest of British India. In what would go on to be labelled "Britain's Greatest Battle" by a popular vote conducted by the British National Army Museum,[2][3] the Battle of Kohima and the Battle of Imphal was also called the "British-Indian Thermopylae" by Earl Louis Mountbatten, the Supreme Allied Commander in the theatre,[4] and is also referred to as "Stalingrad of the East".[5][6]
Badluram was killed in the early days of the battle from a gunshot wound. After Badluram's death, the quartermaster did not remove his name from the rations roster and the company continued to draw rations in Badluram's name. (Some say the Quartermaster purposely did not report Badluram's death while others say he forgot to. The wireless also would give a lot of problems.)[7][1] But by 6 April, the Japanese troops of the Fifteenth Army had Kohima under siege, and supply lines were cut.[1] A 1st Royal Berkshires company commander at the time penned down in this diary "Water was short and restricted to about one pint per man per day [...] Air supply was the key, but the steep terrain and narrow ridges meant that some of the drops went to the Japs".[4] The Japanese also brought anti-aircraft guns with them, breaking the supply chain even more.[1]
For Badluram's company, because of the extra supplies that had been arriving in the days leading up to the siege, things were easier. This extra ration helped the company survive through the siege.[8] The song was composed in his honour with the lyrics "Badluram ka badan zameen ka neeche hai/ toh humey uska ration milta hai" ("Badluram's body is buried but we get his rations").[9][10] Created in 1946 by Major M. T. Proktor, the song was inspired by and set to the tune of "John Brown's Body" – "Battle Hymn of the Republic".[11][12] It has become the regimental song of the Assam Regiment,[13] and is sung by Assam Regiment recruits at their attestation parade in Shillong.[14][15] In September 2019, a video emerged of American and Indian soldiers singing the song together during a joint exercise at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.[16]
Lyrics
edit| Song video | |
|---|---|
 Video of Badluram ka Badan by Assam Regiment (official YouTube channel of ADGPI Indian Army) |
| Romanised Hindi | Translation (Approximate) |
|---|---|
Ek khubsurat ladki thi… |
There was a beautiful girl |
Further reading
edit- Director of Public Relations (1991). Sainik Samachar. Vol. 38. Government of India.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - Gautam Sharma (2000). Reference Manual. Reliance Publishing House. ISBN 9788175101142.
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Sarkar, Abhinaba (26 May 2017). "Badlu Ram and The Assam Regiment: The Legend that Lives On". CATHARSIS Magazine. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Battles of Imphal and Kohima". National Army Museum, United Kingdom. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ MacSwan, Angus (21 April 2013). "Victory over Japanese at Kohima named Britain's greatest battle". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ a b Ministry of Defence (April 2004). The Battle of Kohima, North East India 4 April – 22 June 1944. British MOD, World War Commemorative Booklets. Retrieved 23 April 2020. pg - 3, 6
- ^ Goswami, Major General PK (2019). "75th Anniversary of the Battle of Kohima". United Service Institution. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Copping, Jasper (20 April 2013). "Second World War clashes named as 'Greatest British Battle'". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "'Badluram ka badan': Origins of Indian Army's favourite marching song, and why it retains its iconic status". Firstpost. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Tagra Raho - The Legend of Badlu Ram". The Darjeeling Chronicle. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Badluram ka Badan: The fascinating Assam Regiment song and the story behind it". The Economic Times. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ "Celebrate Army Day With Assam Regt Dancing to 'Badluram Ka Badan'". The Quint. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Das, Raju (16 May 2016). "Why does AR still praise Badlu Ram?". The Assam Tribune Online. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Bhardwaj, Atul (2 November 2018). India-America Relations (1942-62): Rooted in the Liberal International Order. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-18681-0.
- ^ Ministry of Home Affairs (17 November 2016). "MoS (Home) Shri Kiren Rijiju attends the Platinum Jubilee Ceremony of the Assam Regiment". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Hazarika, Myithili (21 July 2019). "Badluram ka badan: How military music keeps recruits bang on the beat". ThePrint. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Alexander, Deepa (3 February 2017). "The soldier's song". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "When US soldiers sang and danced to Badluram ka badan with Indian armymen". India Today. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.