Baba Harbhajan Singh- Sikhs The Supreme

THE REGIMENT'S FIRST casualty, since it was raised in 1966, was reported missing after he had gone escorting a mule train to one of the regiment's remotest outposts. It took the army three days to trace his body, which was later cremated with full honour. But it was after this that a legend began taking shape around the Sepoy-Saint's mysterious life. Decades on, the Sepoy today is worshipped as "Baba Habhajan Singh, the protector of the border, granter of boons and an angel of peace.”

Lt. Col. (retd.) P. Dorjee, Harbhajan's company commander on that fateful day of October 4, 1968, when Harbhajan went missing, recalls the sepoy as a "religiously" inclined man. "His mates in the regiment used to call him "Baba", for his holy crusader-like approach to soldiering. "My Sr. JCO reported that "Baba had been appearing in his colleagues' dreams and imploring that a Samadhi be erected in his memory." Lt. Col. Dorjee recalls.

The regiment obliged and raised a Samadhi in The Mighty Sikhs / 245 Harbhajan's memory at Tuk-Ia where his company was posted. Soon it was time for more and more such visions and shared tales of Harbhajan's holy ghost. Today, the legend is firmly established. Soldiers posted to the difficult terrain on Nathu-la and Jelep-la in east Sikkim believe the Baba guards the border for them and will give them a 72 hour warning before anything untoward happens. Some officers point out that even the Chinese claim that the Baba has promised them a 72 hour advance alert if India plans anything funny along the border. The soldier saint, for both sides, is angel of peace. THERE ARE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THAT THE CHINESE ALWAYS SET ASIDE A CHAIR FOR HIM WHENEVER THEY HOLD BORDER MEETINGS WITH THEIR INDIAN COUNTERPARTS. No officer posted to the region is comfortable taking charge until a "pilgrimage" has been made to the Baba's Samadhi, now at a new location enroute to the Nathu-Ia Pass. The Samadhi was shifted from Tuk-la to its new location some years ago so that many more would be able to visit the Baba's shrine. The earlier location is much less travelled. The devout keep jugs of water at the shrine overnight and take it back as holy water the next day. Border lores have it that the Samadhi is a place where wishes are granted. THE BABA'S STATUS AS THE GUARDIAN DEITY OF THE BORDER GETS REINFORCED EVERYDAY AS CONVOYS TO NATHU-LA MAKE IT A POINT TO STOP AND PAY HOMAGE TO HARBHAJAN.

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