The Immovable Post

Lance Naik Karam Singh - A Living Legend

At Richhmar Gali near Tithwal on October 13, 1948, Lance Naik Karam Singh's section faced eight enemy attacks in a single day. Outnumbered ten-to-one, wounded twice, he refused evacuation and continued fighting - at one point bayoneting two enemy soldiers who breached the defenses. Unlike most PVC recipients, he survived to receive India's highest gallantry award in person.

The Man Who Survived

Of the 21 Param Vir Chakra recipients in India's history, the majority were awarded posthumously. They died in the act of heroism that earned them the medal. But a few survived their moment of supreme valor - and Lance Naik Karam Singh was the first among them.

His story is different from the others in this chapter. Major Somnath Sharma, CHM Piru Singh, and Naik Jadunath Singh all died achieving their objectives. Karam Singh achieved his - and lived to tell the tale. He would become an Honorary Captain, a national hero, and a living symbol of the Sikh Regiment's fighting spirit.

The Making of a Warrior

Karam Singh was born on September 15, 1915, in Sehna village, Sangrur district of Punjab. He came from a farming family, but like many Sikh youth of his generation, the martial traditions of the community called to him. On September 15, 1941 - his 26th birthday - he enrolled in the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment (1 SIKH).

His timing placed him directly in the path of history. World War II was raging, and Indian soldiers were fighting across the globe as part of British Indian forces. Karam Singh would see action in one of the war's most brutal theaters: Burma.

Tested in the Jungles of Burma

The Burma Campaign (1942-45) was among the most punishing of World War II. Japanese forces had swept through Southeast Asia, and Allied troops fought in conditions of extreme hardship - dense jungles, tropical diseases, limited supplies, and a determined enemy.

Karam Singh distinguished himself during the Battle of the Admin Box in February 1944. This two-week battle saw British and Indian forces encircled by Japanese troops but refusing to surrender. Instead of retreating, they held their ground and were resupplied by air - a turning point in the Burma campaign.

For his actions during this battle, Karam Singh was awarded the Military Medal (MM) - a British gallantry decoration. This made him, years later, the only Indian soldier to receive the highest gallantry awards from both the British Empire and independent India.

A Nation at War

When independence came in August 1947, Karam Singh was among the soldiers who helped raise the Indian flag for the first time - one of only five chosen for this honor. He had served the British Crown faithfully; now he would serve the new Republic with equal dedication.

But independence brought immediate challenges. Within months, Pakistan-backed tribal raiders had invaded Kashmir, and the Indian Army was thrust into combat once again. The 1 SIKH was deployed to the Tithwal sector, where some of the fiercest fighting of the war would occur.

The Tithwal Sector

Tithwal, a small town in the Kishanganga Valley, had been captured by Indian forces on May 23, 1948. But the enemy was determined to retake it. The area controlled key routes that could lead to the Srinagar Valley - if Tithwal fell, the road to Kashmir's capital would be open.

Through the summer and into autumn, fighting continued around Tithwal. The Indian positions were constantly probed, attacked, and shelled. Holding these forward posts required not just courage but endurance - the ability to stay alert day after day, night after night, knowing each moment could bring assault.

October 13, 1948 - Richhmar Gali

The date coincided with Eid al-Adha, and the enemy had planned a major offensive to recapture Richhmar Gali and bypass Tithwal entirely. A brigade-strength attack would overwhelm the thin Indian defenses, or so they calculated.

Lance Naik Karam Singh was commanding a section at Richhmar Gali - a small force responsible for a critical piece of terrain. When the attack began, they were outnumbered approximately ten to one.

The assault commenced with devastating artillery and mortar fire. The bombardment was precise - not a single bunker in the platoon locality was left unscathed. Communication trenches caved in. Men were wounded and killed before the infantry attack even began.

Eight Attacks in One Day

What followed was one of the most sustained defensive actions of the Kashmir War. The enemy launched eight separate attacks on that single day, each wave crashing against Karam Singh's position.

He did not merely defend his own bunker. Moving from position to position under fire, he went "from bunker to bunker, giving succor to the wounded and urging the men to fight." When ammunition ran low, he redistributed what was left. When men's spirits flagged, his presence steadied them.

By the fifth attack, Karam Singh had been wounded twice. Military protocol would have justified evacuation - he had done his duty and paid in blood. He refused. The position had to hold, and he would not leave his men.

The Bayonet Charge

During one assault, enemy soldiers managed to breach the defenses and secure a position close to the frontline. This was the moment of maximum danger - once an enemy is inside your perimeter, the advantage of defense disappears.

Karam Singh's response was instant and decisive. He jumped out of his trench and charged the two intruders, bayoneting both to death. It was not planned or ordered - it was instinct, the reflex of a veteran who knew that hesitation meant death.

This single action broke the enemy's morale. Soldiers who had pushed through heavy fire, who had survived the approach to the Indian positions, watched one wounded Sikh rise from a trench and kill two of their number with his bayonet. They had faced similar resistance all day. It was too much. They broke off the attack.

"The Spirit of the Sikh Regiment"

The 1 Sikh Regiment has a distinguished history stretching back to 1846. The regiment's traditions emphasize the Khalsa warrior spirit - the combination of martial prowess and spiritual discipline that defines the Sikh soldier.

The regiment's battle cry - "Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal" (Blessed is he who says God is Truth) - captures this fusion of faith and fighting spirit. When Karam Singh led his men through eight attacks, he embodied this tradition completely.

Remarkably, the 1 Sikh would produce another PVC recipient - Subedar Joginder Singh - at Bum La in 1962. The regiment's spirit of sacrifice continued across generations.

The Param Vir Chakra - In Person

On June 21, 1950, Lance Naik Karam Singh's Param Vir Chakra was officially gazetted. Unlike Somnath Sharma, Piru Singh, and most other recipients, he would receive the medal in person.

The citation read: "The gruelling fighting which gruelled on the post for more than ten hours, lance naik Karam Singh was an inspiration to all ranks. His devotion to duty, gallant action under fire, and complete disregard for his personal safety were in the highest traditions of the army."

He became the first non-posthumous PVC recipient, and the first Sikh soldier to receive the medal. These distinctions made him a living symbol of India's military valor.

A Soldier's Life After Glory

Unlike heroes who die in their moment of glory, Karam Singh had to live with his legend. He continued serving in the army, rising through the ranks to become a Subedar (Junior Commissioned Officer). Before his retirement in September 1969, he was conferred the honorary rank of Captain.

He returned to civilian life in Punjab, but he was never just a civilian again. He was a national treasure, invited to Republic Day celebrations, military ceremonies, and events honoring India's heroes. He bore this responsibility with the same quiet determination he had shown at Richhmar Gali.

Death and Legacy

Honorary Captain Karam Singh passed away on January 20, 1993, at the age of 77 - a natural death after a full life. He had outlived most of his contemporaries from the Kashmir War, and his passing marked the end of an era.

But his legacy endures in multiple forms:

The Karam Singh Memorial in his native Sangrur district honors his memory with an annual commemoration.

MT Lance Naik Karam Singh, PVC - a crude oil tanker operated by the Shipping Corporation of India from 1984 to 2009 - carried his name across the world's oceans.

The 1 Sikh Regiment continues to celebrate his memory, holding him up as an example of what a Sikh soldier can achieve when tested to the utmost.

The Living Symbol

Karam Singh's survival gives his story a different character than the other lessons in this chapter. The posthumous heroes are frozen in their moment of sacrifice - forever young, forever brave, forever dying. Karam Singh lived with the weight of being a national hero.

He showed that it was possible to perform actions worthy of the highest honor and still survive. He demonstrated that valor is not always about dying for your country - sometimes it's about being willing to die but continuing to live and serve.

For the young soldiers who met him in later years, he was proof that PVC recipients were real people, not mythical figures. The medal on his chest had been earned at a real place called Richhmar Gali, on a real day in October 1948, through real blood and real courage.

The Lesson of Endurance

CHM Piru Singh's charge was over in minutes. Naik Jadunath Singh's last stand lasted hours. But Karam Singh's battle stretched across an entire day - eight attacks, each requiring him to summon his courage anew.

This is perhaps the hardest kind of heroism: not the single explosive act of sacrifice, but the sustained effort of holding on when everything tells you to let go. Each time the enemy regrouped and attacked again, Karam Singh had to make the choice again to stand and fight.

The lesson is that courage isn't just about the willingness to die. It's about the willingness to endure - to be wounded and keep fighting, to be exhausted and keep leading, to face attack after attack and never waver.

"Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal"

The Sikh battle cry echoed across Richhmar Gali that October day, as it had echoed across battlefields for centuries before. In its meaning - that blessing belongs to those who recognize truth - lies a philosophy of war and life.

Karam Singh recognized the truth of his duty. He recognized the truth of his men's need for leadership. He recognized the truth that some positions must be held regardless of cost. And he held.

"The enemy was outnumbered ten to one. But they were the ones who broke."