Fwd: : Fwd: A video on Liberation of Ladakh in 1948 & an article on the man who film...

[M N Rao]

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Begin forwarded message:

From: Nicco Bahri <nicco...@gmail.com>
Date: 15 February 2015 10:09:26 IST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Fwd: : Fwd: A video on Liberation of Ladakh in 1948 & an article on the man who film...

-Subject: : A video on Liberation of Ladakh in 1948 & an article on the man who film...

 

 

I have great pleasure in forwarding a rare story-film  of Kashmir operations in 1948 which most of us may not have seen before.

Thank legendary Serbjeet Singh, that much celebrated wild life photographer, for having done this daring job when Indian films were yet to acquire any worthwhile technology. And he did it real time!!!

Watch and store this great work for posterity.

 

:

 Every Indian must watch this film. 

 A 28 minute documentary. Must watch.

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Liberation of Ladakh in 1948 & an article on the man who filmed it & more

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5nf8wWTcPM&feature=youtu.be

—- We shall be proud of our  heritage and men — the ultimate sacrifice and courage of our men is unparalleled —- this is a must see video
  I had the good luck of operating in this
 terrain ten years after this operation, I.e., in 1959-1962
 
 
       A  NON-COMBATANT  WHO  WITNESSED  AND  FILMED
 THE  FIRST  FLIGHT TO  LEH & BATTLES 
 FOR   ZOJI-LA   AND NAMKA  CHHU.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5nf8wWTcPM&feature=youtu.be
 Liberation of Ladakh : A Flim by Serbjeet Singh

 This is a documentary shot on location of in battles for  liberation of  Ladakh by that maverick Serbjeet Singh , film maker and painter who  participated in the first flight to Leh (24 May, 1948).
 Watch the  history-making exploits of the Stuart Tanks of 7 Cavalry  beyond Zoji La
 and all other engagements culminating with the capture of  Kargil, on 23  November, 1948. Unfortunately  the 16 mm cine film of the  J&K  Battles shot on location by SS, between May 1948 and January  1949 is not
  available to us.
 Fortunately, Karamjit Singh (the son of SS), had  retrieved some footage from the original Film and  supplementing it with
 appropriate recent aerial photography, created an impressive  DVD titled
 “THE LIBERATION OF LADAKH”. This DVD  has some  vintage visuals and voice
  recordings of Lieut General K M Cariappa, OBE, exhorting  his Commanders during a visit to the battle-field, and of Major General K S Thimayya,  DSO, whose voice validates the actions as they unfold with gems such as
 “this is supreme vindication of upright manhood”  following the break-out from Zoji La, and  Lieut Colonel R S “Sparrow” (among others), briefing their subordinate commanders at various stages of the war,
 and all of it seen  to the soothing back-ground music provided by Mrs. Shanta SS.
 How did Serbjeet Singh get into the thick of battle in 1948 ?  It had its  beginnings on the lawns of the Civil Lines Club, Jullander, 

 On a balmy  winter evening in February, 1948, SS was screening his 16  mm film on  “Life In The Himalayas”, especially for Dr Gopi  Chand Bhargava, the  Chief Minister of the then Punjab State. Within minutes of  commencement, in strode a tall man who was received by the Chief Minister. That gentleman was Major General K S Thimayya, DSO, GOC Jullander  Area.*
 Evidently the General was so impressed by the film that he
 decided to encourage SS to document the combat actions of India’s fledgling Army in J&K, with the offer to SS and his younger brother thus, "If you boys are prepared to make a film on the war in Kashmir, I will send a signal to the GOC-in-C Western Command to help you. Come to my office
tomorrow, in the Cantonment.”
 Shortly, Gen Thimayya was appointed to command the newly raised Sri Division (later 19 Div) and on encountering SS in his ADC’s room, the General said, “I have been posted
to Srinagar. Now there is no problem. Get ready to go!” By early May 1948, the General and his protégé, loaded with the
 paraphernalia of film-makers and artists, had arrived in Srinagar. And what followed is best summed up by SS:“Thimayya sent us all over the front in Kashmir, starting from establishing a piquet at 16,000 ft, above Zoji La on the
Bodh Kulan Ganj cliffs, to the battle in the Gurais Valley
 and the operations in the Uri Sector. The finale came with the
 historic battleof Zoji La.”

 

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Nicco
tele   +91-120-2430122