Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 15: In a tribute to India’s military heritage, the Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, released two historically significant books on military legends late Col Dan Singh Thapa and Maj Gen Janak Singh during a symposium held at the Manekshaw Auditorium, New Delhi.
The event, organized jointly by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and the JAKRIF Centre, was convened to mark the institution of the ‘Gen Zorawar Singh Chair of Excellence.’
The first book released by the Army Chief chronicles the life and valour of the late Col Dan Singh Thapa, Param Vir Chakra awardee, and has been authored by his daughter, offering a deeply intimate and inspiring narrative of one of India’s most decorated war heroes. The second book, penned by Lt Gen GS Katoch (retired), traces the extraordinary life and times of his grandfather, Maj Gen Janak Singh.
Maj Gen Janak Singh was a towering military figure who held key appointments under Maharaja Hari Singh, including that of the Chief of Staff of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces in 1947. His son, Lt Col (later Lt Gen) Kashmir Singh Katoch, served as a military advisor to the Maharaja during the tumultuous October of 1947 and later went on to become the Indian Army’s first Adjutant General.
The event was attended by senior military veterans, serving officers, scholars, and distinguished guests, including the Chief of the Army Staff himself. A special panel discussion featured four eminent speakers – Lt Gen GS Katoch, Col Ajay Raina (retired), SD Singh (DGP Ladakh) and Dr Jeggannathan from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) – all of whom shared insights into various facets of Gen Zorawar Singh’s life, leadership, and military expeditions, particularly in the context of the Duggar region.
On the occasion, Col Ajay Raina, a noted military historian, also gifted two of his authored books to the Army Chief.
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