Palra: Joining the Army is a tradition here

This little-known village of Haryana, made famous by its most famous son, Subedar Major Umrao Singh, VC, continues to maintain its strong links with the Indian Army, finds Maneesh Chhibber

Palra is one of the countless nondescript villages that dot the landscape of Haryana. Despite being just 60 km from Delhi, development has still to reach this village.

However, ask anyone in Haryana, especially a serving or retired Army man, if he has heard of Palra in Jhajjar district and chances are that he would know about the village. After all, not many villages in India can boast of one of their men receiving a Victoria Cross, the highest wartime gallantry award given to British soldiers.

Palra and Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Umrao Singh, VC, are synonymous with each other. Subedar Major Umrao Singh passed away on November 21, 2005. While for any other area the passing away of such a renowned figure could have resulted in the end of its relationship with prestige, but not for Palra.

Palra has another claim to fame. It is a rare example of a village where almost each family has at least one member serving in the defence services. Villagers say there are over 1,100 persons from a total of over 900 families currently serving in the forces, mainly the Army. Every year, a number of youth from the village join the Army.

"Basically, serving in the armed forces is a tradition that our village follows diligently. When our children grow up, the first job that we want them to try for is with the Army. If they, for some reason, cannot make it, only then do they look at other options," says a resident of the village.

In December last year, following the death of Subedar Major Umrao Singh, the Army held a special recruitment drive for the village youth. The drive was held on the orders of the Chief of the Army Staff, General J.J. Singh, who had attended the last rites of the brave son of the soil.

Such was the enthusiasm for joining the Army that even though the Army authorities had announced that they would select only 25 youths, over 200 youngsters turned up at the recruitment centre.

Hony Capt Om Prakash with a picture showing him with former President R. Venkataraman

Nobody knows when the village’s affair with the Army began. All that the old-timers remember is that the honours that came to Subedar Major Umrao Singh after he received the Victoria Cross for exemplary courage in World War II had a major impact on the minds of the youth.

"From just another village, Palra became the village. Senior government officers and journalists from other parts of the country as well as abroad started visiting Subedar Major Umrao Singh. All this influenced the village youth, who wanted to join the Army and follow in the footsteps of Subedar Major Umrao Singh. At least, that was what I had dreamt of when I chose to join the Army," says Om Prakash, a retired JCO.

Not surprisingly, new recruits of this Ahirs-dominated village prefer to join the Artillery — the arm of the Army to which Subedar Major Umrao Singh belonged. If the new recruit is unable to join the Artillery, he opts for Infantry’s Kumaon regiment.

There are some families in the village, which have not allowed their link with the Army to break through generations — with the grandson serving the country just as his father and grandfather had done years ago.

There is ex-Subedar Brahma Nand, who joined the Army in 1957. His three sons were also in the Army, while one of his grandsons has recently received his Commission.

UNIFORM MOTTO I joined the Army in 1957. My three sons are also in the Army, while one of my grandsons has recently received Commission. There have been very few cases of eligible, fit youths from our village being turned down by the Army. — ex-Subedar Brahma Nand

My father, who was in the Army, married all his daughters to Army men. My grandson has now become an officer in the Army. He has made the entire village proud. — Santra Devi

After retiring from the Army, I’ve settled in my house in the village. My three brothers were also in the Army. The village has produced three colonels, two of whom have retired and are settled outside the village. — Hony Captain Bhagwan Yadav

He admits he is unable to pinpoint what drives the village youth to join the Army but adds, "I can assure you that when we go for a job in the Army and tell the officers that we are from Palra, we get special treatment. There have been very few cases of eligible, fit youths from our village being turned down by the Army," he states with a dash of pride.

He also discloses that one of his uncles had received a grant of 350 acres of land near the village from the British for exemplary courage shown in the war.

Apart from ex-Subedar Brahma Nand’s uncle, the village boasts of two other "murraba-holders also. A murraba-holder is one who received a grant/gift of 350 acres from the British for courage shown in a war.

During the India-China war of 1962, the village lost a native, Rattan Singh, who achieved martyrdom. Five of his brothers also joined the Army, and one them still serves as a Colonel. Villagers proudly say that the Colonel’s son has also cleared the "exam" and will soon don the uniform of the Indian Army as a Lieutenant.

Says Subedar Kartar Singh, one of the five brothers of Shaheed Rattan Singh, "What else could we do? Earlier, when we were young, getting good education was not easy. Also, we were enamoured of the Army. It was as if we had been born to serve the nation through the Army. The perils of joining the Army never even occurred to us. But, now with quality education easily available, our children are not so interested in the Army."

There are many in the village who agree with him. But despite that they miss no chance of reminding you that Palra is the village of faujis.

Hony Captain Bhagwan Yadav, who now leads a retired life in his house in the village, says his three brothers were also in the Army.

He discloses that the village has produced three full colonels, with two of them having retired and settled outside the village.

But, villagers rue the lack of development in the village. Despite its fame, the village has not seen much development. So much so that the majority of the villagers don’t have access to potable water. Instead, they are forced to buy water for a hefty sum from a contractor, who supplies it through his tubewells.

There are no proper lanes and bylanes in the village. "If you want to go from one corner of the village to another, you will have to wade through foul-smelling water. We have made so many requests to the local administration but nothing has been done," laments Hony Capt Om Prakash (retd), a nephew of Subedar Major Umrao Singh.

Villagers also point out that the Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had come to the village to attend the last rites of Subedar Major Umrao Singh, had announced that Palra would be developed into a model village. "Is this what a model village should look like," asks Om Prakash.

Incidentally, Hooda had also directed the Deputy Commissioner, Jhajjar, to prepare a project for the planned and swift development of the infrastructure of the village. Nobody knows if that project has seen the light of day.

But, despite difficulties, locals are sure of one thing: they will not let their link with the Army snap.

Octogenarian Santra Devi, who lives in the village, proudly says that her father, who was in the Army, married all his daughters to Army men.

"My grandson has now become an officer in the Army. He has made the entire village proud," she says, adding that she would like each family in the village to maintain the tradition of sending at least one male member to the Army.