Courtesy Brig Pradeep Sharma
I first made acquaintence with Tara on commissioning to the Battalion.
JATs ,known for their simplicity and forthrightness got me puzzled in the initial few months.
I was told, for example, that a sepoy was" Bhagora!" It made me wonder what kind of a name this was? By and by, with passage of time and a better understanding drew me into the folds of this wonderful community, humble, fierce, gentle and full of affection once they developed confidence and trust in you.
Tara was a boxer of some acclaim and we sweated it out ,me as the team captain and Tara ( amongst others) as a strong contender in his weight. Came the finals of our Inter Battalion Boxing , we watched our boys at each fight with bated breath, cheering at appropriate moments. Tara stepped into the ring amongst a loud ear bursting " Shabash Tara! Ger Diye Pahle Mein!" The fight lasted all of 30 seconds ! The opponent lay flat as the Referee counted 10!
A couple of years later , I learnt that he was a gallantry award winner in the '65 War , famously known as the "Battle of Dograi"! He would, in his humility, never talk about it. As I prepared for the Battle Honour Day Celebrations , rummaging through old photographs , cassettes and other memorabilia, I found an old cassette captioned "The Battle Of Dograi" in our Officers' Mess collection. Playing the cassette exposed me to a "Gem" of history!
Melvin De Mello's interview of all the brave men who won accolades and medals in the epic battle! Late Brig DE Hayde, MVC, down the line !
Here is how Tara Chand's interview went:-
De'mello: Aapne is ladai mein kya kiya?
Tara: Sir mein F Echelon se MMG ka ammunition le kar objective tak le gaya tha.
De Mello: phir kya hua?
Tara: Sahab mein jaise hi Dograi mein ghusa, ek makaan ki chhat se me re par dushman ka fire hua!
De Mello: Phir kya kiya tum ne?
Tara: Sahab meine javabi fire kiya aur daud kar chhat par char gaya, upar jake, darwaza ko thudda mar khola aur carbine se ek ko maar dala!
De Mello: Aur doosre ka kya?
Tara: Meri carbine mein rok par gayee sahab , to mein daur kar age barha aur usko mukka mara!
De Mello: Mukka mara? To phir kya hua? Usne tum par waar nahin kya ?
Tara: Sahib, boxer hoon, mere mukke se woh chhat se neeche jaa girya. Meine upar se dekha aur turant neeche bhag kar Uttar gaya.
De Melo: Woh zinda tha, kya ?
Tara: Han Sahab jivit tha, peeth par para tha, meine uske muh mein apni water bottle khol kar pani diya, pehle to.
De Mello: Are pani kyon? Woh to dushman tha, na?
Tara: Haan sahib , par mein hindu hoon! Phir pani pila kar usko bayonet se mar giraya! Dushman to tha hee!
The simplicity of this conversation has never left my mind .
He fought his rounds with great success up till the level of Services, to retire with honour as a JCO.
Now that years have gone by, one often sits to mull over old thoughts and remember such men with respect and warm affection.
As I write this, my heart and thoughts are with him, as he battles age and ailment in Jaipur, where he settled down.
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