Introduction
‘From the Banks of the Beas’ is a work of dramatized historical fiction written by Lieutenant General Ghanshyam Singh Katoch who imbibed the art of storytelling and love for reading and writing from his father Lieutenant Colonel Rajindra Singh Katoch. Historical fiction is set in a real place, during a recognizable period. However, the details and the action in the story are a mix of actual events and ones from the author’s imagination to add to the narrative. The characters are based on actual people though some can also be fictitious with permissible creative liberties by the author.
The book is written on the true account of Hira Singh of 19th Lancers or ‘Fanes Horse’ a famed Cavalry Regiment which postIndependence was orbatted with the Pakistan Army and is still in existence as an Armoured Regiment.
The inspiration for this story came about after the passing away of one of the sons of Hira Singh in 2012 following which the division of the family’s ancestral land was carried out and Gen Katoch the spouse of one of the third-generation beneficiaries ‘felt it would be fitting to trace the life and times of Hira Singh’.
About The Book
Hira Singh was born into a reputed ‘Dogra Rajput warrior clan of the Pathania’ in 1871. The family owed their lineage to the Nurpur Royal family and had settled at Rey a village on the Banks of the Beas in then Punjab but now in Himachal Pradesh The Beas incidentally called Hyphasis by the Greeks marked the Eastern most border of Alexander’s conquest and in 326 BC he is believed to have turned back from Kathgarh which lies near Rey. Though ‘his father passed away before he was born, he had many teachers ranging from his Uncles, Mother, Elder Brothers, Teaches and even Servants who imbibed in him a sense of values that stood out and defined him throughout his life’. Growing up he learnt a lot of his lessons outdoors while hunting and fishing including about the ‘trajectory of arrows and how it was necessary to adjust the next arrow taking reference from the previous one that had missed its mark’ and ‘never killing anything you don’t eat’. He was a strong swimmer and an excellent horseman which is what motivated him to join the Cavalry of the British Indian Army as a Viceroy’s Commissioned Officer and not the J&K State Forces where he would have joined as an officer as being a mountainous state did not have a Cavalry Regiment at that time.
In 1914 Hira Singh was one of the senior most Indian officers of the Regiment which had a Punjabi Mussalman Squadron a Pathan Squadron. One and a half Squadrons of Sikhs and half a Squadron of Dogras. ‘All four classes were excellent soldiers with their own unique set of soldiering qualities’.
They embarked on a voyage by sea from Karachi to Marseilles in France along with their horses. Incidentally, the Gurkha troops travelling on the ship with them ‘were convinced that a steam ship was no different from a steam engine and that its straight course was dictated by the underwater rails it must be moving on’. When Fanes Horse marched through the streets of France the French were ecstatic that ‘such a large contingent of Cavalry had travelled from such distant shores to fight for their country. Whether Hindu, Muslim or Sikh they were welcomed with shouts of ‘Les Hindous’.
World War I from 1914 to 1918 saw the then Indian Army contribute Expeditionary Forces from Europe, East Africa, Middle East and Persia. The 19th Lancers fought both in the trenches of France and in Palestine where they rode into the Jordan Valley and executed Cavalry operations under General Allenby during the advance to Damascus.
While addressing the Regiment, General Allenby talked about the power of the horse and the bond between the rider and the steed, the speed and agility of the Cavalry charge and the shock and awe of the lance and sabre. As the Risaldar Major of the Regiment, Hira Singh stood up to the Commanding Officer for giving an award to JemadarSarbaland Khan for the successful capture of a Turkish patrol in June 1918 as he felt that ‘honours cannot be selective if fairly deserved’.
This was the time when due to the successof the German offensive into Belgium and the inability of Britian to mobilise the need was felt to get troops from British overseas colonies to fight the War. This is also when; ‘the traditional British practice of not sending Indian troops to fight Europeanslest they lose their awe of the white man had been disregarded due to the imperative of war’.
This move was supported by the ‘Princely States, extremists ,the Congress and the population all for different reasons ranging from duty, loyalty and repayment in the form of self-government or self-governing dominion’ with none of the latter two taking place and instead you have the scene when Hira Singh returns after the war and catches a train from Delhi to his village he is forced to get off short of Amritsar and catch a tonga to Batala and then the train to Pathankot as Amritsar was under curfew following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Many years later Hira Singh, while discussing with the Governor of Bengal as to what motivated the Indian soldiers to fight on far off battle fields for the British, he gave the example of his Regiment said the Muslim soldiers were motivated by fighting ‘a just war and the others for karma’. Both felt it was the right thing to do. The motivation of troops, the Regimental sprit and the relationship within various classes of troops within the Regiment as well as between the VCO’s and British officers is wonderfully brought out. For example, he could walk up to General Hudson the Adjutant General and meet him without a prior appointment to discuss the pension of a widow only because both had served in 19th Lancers. Along the book the reader is given an insight into the moral dilemmas faced by Hira Singh. How does he deal with a wanted brigand charged with murder in the tribal belt of Afghanistan.The man had once been his musketry instructor ‘ Ustaad’ in Deolali and is now asking for time to visit his wife who has just given birth to his firstborn son and both are sick .
He swears that he will return. The end of the First World War saw the soldiers return to their homes after being witness to seeing both the wonders of Europe and the horror of war. It also saw the re-organization of the British Indian Army and the transition from horses to mechanical transport and tanks.
Post his retirement in May 1923, after having served as the ADC to the Governor of Bengal, Hira Singh returned to Rey but a chance encounter in a train with Colonel Janak Singh Katoch of the J&K State Forces resulted in him being offered a commission as a Lieutenant Colonel in the J&K State Forces and the opportunity to command a Cavalry Regiment. He was responsible for the amalgamation of two Cavalry Squadrons of the J&K Bodyguards and Kashmir Lancers into the J&K Bodyguard Cavalry. There was no doubt that ‘being a soldier was his true calling’.However, what stood out in the Princely State Forces were ‘the politics and court intrigues as darbaris constantly tried to outshine each other’.
There are numerous other issues discussed in this book ranging from the strong family and caste and clan relationships, friendships and beliefs. The status of women and widows, education and employment as well as the relationships. How do the families of soldier’s cope with long absences of their spouses often ranging for years and bring up the children.
Conclusion
Needless to say, the book written in an immensely readable style with a great deal of research and with multiple narratives gives a unique insight into a period of time and the remarkable events which have not been documented about in this manner.
The canvas is wide from Rey to Jammu, Baluchistan to Peshawar, Ambala to Karachi, Flanders to Palestine and Bengal and Sikkim to Srinagar and Gilgit. Each place is described as it was at that period the geographically setting is perfect but what comes out is Hira Singh’s role in the appointments he held and the interactions with people and the unfolding of events around him which shaped not only his destiny but that also of our nation.
The author has referred to the main and secondary sources and has based his account on existing documents as well as verbal reminisces of the relatives of Hira Singh. What is remarkable is the manner in which the dates, chronology, places and the events of military service and war are actual.
What he brings out clearly are the family and Regimental ties and the way they bind individuals together. As the author states ‘the bonds of Regimental affiliation can only be understood by those who have served in the Army within a Regiment’.
Recording memories which stretch back over hundred years in such a detailed manner is important as they provide a unique perspective from an individual’s viewpoint which often gets neglected while recording official histories. Undoubtedly the book is a priceless endeavour which will appeal not only to those who are interested in military history but also to other readers who have been given an insight into ‘the flavour of those times’ and how they shaped and influenced our lives today.
