Tsewang Rigzin
LEH, Aug 31: Rigzin Dorje, 98, is among the few living veterans of the 1962 Indo-China war from Ladakh. A former soldier of the 7 JK Militia, he served the unit for two decades before retiring in 1970 and later joining the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). His memories of the war, especially his journey to Kuyul in eastern Ladakh, remain etched vividly in his mind even after more than six decades.
In 1962, Dorje was on leave at home when the sudden outbreak of war changed everything. Soldiers on leave were urgently called back and told to assemble near Leh airport. “I still remember being served tea there before we were moved to Kairey,” he said.
On their way towards the border, Dorje witnessed a sight that reflected the harshness of those times: a one-ton jeep loaded with ammunition had sunk deep into the sand, and its driver, starving for days, had almost lost consciousness. The soldiers quickly gave him food before moving further to Dongti.
When they reached Kuyul village, they were received with warmth by the local people, many of whom Dorje already knew. After resting for a night in the village, the troops moved to Lagangkyal. At Umlung, they crossed the river and came face to face with a large group of Chinese soldiers advancing towards them. “They didn’t have bombs or heavy weapons,” Dorje recalled.
The battle that followed was fierce. From 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, Dorje and his comrades fought relentlessly, holding their ground against the advancing Chinese. It was in this encounter that Subedar Eshey and several other soldiers laid down their lives. Even the Shaktiman truck driver who had accompanied them was martyred. Dorje himself was wounded when a bullet struck his leg. “Even today, I sometimes feel itching where it hit me,” he said.
Amid the chaos, help arrived in the form of soldier Phuntsog Tashi of Sabu village, who braved the danger and brought ammunition on horseback, ensuring that Dorje’s unit never ran short. Above them, an Indian aircraft hovered, and soon after, orders to withdraw were received. At the time, Dorje was carrying a No. 2 LMG rifle.
As they retreated, news reached them of Major Shaitan Singh’s martyrdom. The return was perilous as Lagangkyal was already cut off by the Chinese, forcing the soldiers to climb Lhari Mountain. “That night, we took shelter in a natural cave. The next morning, we reached Kuyul Phoo, where we stayed in a traditional Rebo (a nomadic tent), before finally marching to Hanle,” the veteran recalls.
Dorje’s service did not end with the 1962 war. A few years before the 1971 Indo-Pak War, he was also posted on the Bogdang front, along the Indo-Pak border. The memories of those days were sometimes marked by camaraderie across the divide. “We often exchanged rum for cigarettes with Pakistani soldiers,” he said with a smile.
Life as a soldier in Ladakh in those decades was not just about facing the enemy but also enduring the unforgiving terrain. Journeys to remote places like Nubra meant days of walking across mountains and rivers, often without food. Yet, whenever the soldiers reached a village, they were met with the generosity of locals, who offered food and ‘chhang’, the traditional barley brew.
Even at 98, Rigzin Dorje carries the spirit of those times, a reminder of the resilience, sacrifice, and quiet heroism of Ladakhi soldiers who stood firm in some of the most remote battlefronts of the country.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
