Balram Singh Mehta is a retired Brigadier of the Indian Army who participated in the Battle of Garibpur before the start of the India–Pakistan War of 1971. In 2022, he gained popularity with the war film Pippa, which was based on his 2016 book The Burning Chaffees: A Soldier’s First-Hand Account of the 1971 War.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Balram Singh Mehta was born on Monday, 16 April 1945 (age 77 years; as in 2022) in Punjab province, British India (now India). In January 1962, after completing his schooling, Balram Singh Mehta joined the National Defense Academy in Pune and in June 1965, he joined the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. After completing his training, he was commissioned into the Indian Army on 15 June 1966.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Color: Gray
Eye colour: dark brown
Family
parents and siblings
Balram Singh Mehta belongs to a military family. His father served in the British Indian Army and after retiring from the army he worked as Deputy Controller of Defense Accounts. He died in December 1953. Mehta has 4 brothers and one sister. His brother Raj Mehta is a retired Major General of the Indian Army. His eldest brother Shamsher Mehta is a retired Indian Army officer. His brother Narinder Mehta (deceased) is a retired colonel of the Indian Army. His brother Surinder Mehta is a retired Indian Army officer. His sister Kusum Mehta is a dentist.
Major General Raj Mehta, brother of Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta
wife and children
His wife’s name is Jayshree. His son’s name is Brijraj Mehta. His daughter’s name is Nandini Mehta.
CASTEISMAND
Balram Singh Mehta is a Mohyal Brahmin. Mohyal Brahmins are a sub-group of the Punjabi Hindu community. Talking about his ethnicity in his book, Balram wrote,
I also have a middle name – Singh. This is reminiscent of previous generations, when the eldest son in the family was appointed as the protector of Sikhism. The surname – Mehta – is actually a title given to the more learned and better educated people of the Mohyal community originating from the Gandhara region.
livelihood
Army
On 15 June 1966, Balram Singh Mehta joined the 45 Cavalry Regiment of the Armored Corps of the Indian Army as a Second Lieutenant. By 1971, Balram had reached the rank of Captain, when he participated in the Battle of Garibpur with his regiment before the start of the India–Pakistan War of 1971.
battle of garibpur
On 20 November 1971, i.e. twelve days before the start of the 1971 war, the Battle of Garibpur was fought between the Indian Army and the Pakistani Army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In the war, Balram Singh Mehta served as the Second-in-Command (2IC) in C Squadron of the 45th Cavalry Regiment and was under the command of Major Daljit Singh Narang, who was killed in action during the battle. After the death of Major Narang, Balram became the commander of C Squadron and led the squadron to victory by destroying 8 Pakistani tanks and capturing the town of Garibpur.
After the war ended, Balram Singh Mehta’s name was mentioned in the dispatches sent by the Indian Army. Talking about the war, Balram said during an interview,
I was then second-in-command of the 45th Cavalry Squadron. Our fleet had Russian PT-76 tanks. On the night of 20th November, along with the 14th Punjab Battalion, we crossed the Kabadak River and entered the Garibpur border… After dawn on the 21st, the Pakistani tank fleet started fighting our tanks. They had 14 American Chaffee tanks. Our squadron commander, Major Daljit Singh Narang, lost his life to Pakistani shelling almost at the beginning of the war. As a result the responsibility of conducting the war fell on me. Then my tank started having problems. Meanwhile, three Pakistani tanks surrounded us. Almost miraculously we managed to knock down all three tanks. When their gunner was coming out of the Pakistani tank, I stopped the gunner of my tank from firing at them. Later, when we treated him as a prisoner of war and gave him tea and biscuits, he was still thankful. If the government had given us permission that day (the day the Battle of Garibpur was won), we would have moved up to Jessore (Bangladesh) and ended the war quickly.
A photo taken after the battle of Garibpur ended
after the 1971 war
On 21 December 1984, Balram Singh Mehta, who became Lieutenant Colonel, established the 13th Armored Regiment of the Indian Army. In November 1986, under his command, the 13th Armored Regiment participated in Operation Brassstacks, a major military exercise in Rajasthan. In 1990, Balram Singh Mehta attended the Higher Command Course at the Army War College, Mhow. During his tenure in the Army, Balram held several key appointments in the Strike Corps, Mountain Division and Infantry Division. Later Balram was sent on deputation to the Cabinet Secretariat. Balram Singh Mehta took premature retirement from the Indian Army as a Brigadier in 1998.
post retirement
After retirement, Balram Singh Mehta was appointed by the Government of Gujarat. Working with the government, in 2000, he organized the first entrepreneurship course at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Ahmedabad for retired Indian Army officers. He worked with the Government of Gujarat till 2001. After working with the government, Balram served as Vice Chancellor (VC) of several universities in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Balram Singh Mehta has also served as the Director General of the Iowa-based NGO Maharishi Invincible Defense for Peace. Balram Singh Mehta is also a member of Surat based NGO named Jai Jawan Nagrik Samiti.
Respect
For his actions during the Battle of Garibpur, Balram Singh Mehta’s name was mentioned in the dispatches sent by the Indian Army in 1974.
Facts/General Knowledge
- In 2016, Balram Singh Mehta wrote The Burning Chaffees: A Soldier’s First-Hand Account of the 1971 War, a book based on the events that unfolded during the Battle of Garibpur. Talking about the book, Balram said,
I was invited to the regimental lunch of 45 Cavalry in 2015 by the then Colonel of the regiment, Lieutenant General Amit Sharma. The serving and retired officers present there reminded me of my promise to write a book about my first war experience. The Golden Jubilee celebrations of 45 Cavalry were scheduled for early 2016. To a soldier, a promise is a promise.”
Balram Singh Mehta with his book
- In November 2022, RSVP Media production company announced that they would release Pippa, a war film based on Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta’s 2016 book The Burning Chaffees: A Soldier’s First-Hand Account of the 1971 War, on 2 December 2022. Ishaan Khattar plays the lead role of Captain Balram Singh Mehta. Talking about the film, Balram said,
Over the past few months, their team has assembled big names and talent recognized for excellence. It is the imagination, creativity, experience and genius of Siddharth Roy Kapur that he has imagined and conceptualized a war film while reading the story.
- Balram Singh Mehta has written in his book that he smokes cigarettes and also drinks alcohol.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn