Major D.P. Singh is a retired officer of the Indian Army. He is a Kargil War veteran and is known as India's first blade runner.[1][2] After his amputation, he gradually started running using a prosthetic limb and has run in 26 half-marathons in his running career.[1] This includes three half-marathons in extreme high altitude as high as 11,700 ft (3,600 m) in Leh. The Limca Book of Records added his name to their "People of the Year 2016" list.[3] In 2018, Govt of India, Ministry of social justice and empowerment conferred him with National award for persons with disabilities under Role model category. In 2019 he was conferred with coveted civilian award, CavinKare Ability Mastery award in recognition of excellence achieved against all odds. He was taken as Ambassador by Indian army for year 2018, which was the year dedicated to soldiers who got disabled in line of duty.
Devender Pal Singh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 1973 Jagadhari, India |
| Allegiance | India |
| Service | Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1997–2007 |
| Battles / wars | Kargil War Operation Vijay LOC in Akhnoor sector |
| Alma mater | Indian Military Academy |
In 2019, he wrote another chapter in history when he became the 1st solo Skydiver among persons with disabilities in whole Asia.
His life story was chronicled in Grit: The Major Story, a 2019 graphic memoir Singh coauthored with V.R. Ferose and Sriram Jagannathan.[4]
Early life and career
editDevender Pal Singh was born on 13 January 1974 in Jagadhari, India. His date of birth in official records is however, 13 September 1973. Incidentally, as he was declared dead once, when during Kargil War, after getting injured, he was received at nearest hospital, he takes 15 July 99 as his death and rebirth day. He believes in living life (now 2nd life so all the more important) to the fullest, so he celebrate all 3 dates. Especially 15 July, which is celebrated as "Death and Rebirth day" by inscribing same on the cake.[citation needed] He received his senior secondary education from Kendriya Vidyalaya Roorkee.[5] He did his Bachelor of Arts degree from CCU Meerut.[citation needed]
Major Singh graduated from the Indian Military Academy (101st course, Regular batch) on 6 December 1997 and was commissioned into the 7th Battalion, The Dogra Regiment.[6] After the injury, in 2002, he converted to Army Ordnance Corps. He retired from the Indian Army in 2007, after serving for 10 years.[7]
Kargil War
editMajor D.P. Singh was injured on 15 July 1999 at LOC in Akhnoor sector while fighting for India during the Kargil War (Operation Vijay).[8]
He was 80 meters from a Pakistani Army post when a mortar fell within 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) of where he was; the shrapnel injured multiple parts of his body.[5] A part of his right leg was amputated as it had developed gangrene.[5] His war injuries and its side effects has made him a man with multiple following disabilities making him more than 100% disabled: 1. Amputation right leg (through the knee, a rare and difficult amputation due to which prosthesis fitment becomes a challenge) amputation. (WAR Injury) 2. Bilateral high frequency hearing loss (Blast acoustic trauma) (WAR Injury) 3. Partial removal of intestines (WAR Injury) 4. 73 shrapnel (cast iron bomb particles, 1 mm to 1 inch) embedded in various body parts/joints/bones, all over the body, including liver. (WAR Injury) 5. Urinary bladder operated for cystitis cystica glandularis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystitis_glandularis) (Side effect of WAR Injuries) 6. Cervical spondylosis (C5, C6 and C7 affected) (Side effect of WAR Injuries) 7. Left knee operated for meniscus and ligament tear (martial art injury) 8. Eyes nerve impacted leading to presbyopia (side effect of WAR injuries) 9. PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) (WAR Impact) 10. Latest found is Parkinson's disease (right brain impacted leading to bradykinesia and tremor in left side limbs) (Side effect of WAR injuries)
References
edit- ^ a b Sharma, Nitin (22 November 2016). "India's First Blade Runner in City: 'Being active is the biggest answer to disability'". The Indian Express.
- ^ "Batting great Sachin Tendulkar pays respect to India's first blade-runner — a 'Kargil War' hero". Zee News. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ "Major Devender Pal Singh (Retd)". Limca Book of Records. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- ^ "Micro review: 'Grit: The Major Story' is a graphic novel on Major DP Singh's deeply inspiring story - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ a b c Sharma, Aasheesh (17 October 2015). "Meet DP Singh, the man who fought his disability to run marathons". Hindustan Times.
- ^ "Major DP Singh Interview: "I want to live every moment of this life to the fullest"". 23 July 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ Teja, Charanjit Singh (4 September 2015). "With courage higher than mountains, amputee to run Ladakh marathon". The Tribune.
- ^ "The inspiring story of Major D P Singh". Rediff.com. 19 August 2014.