Jaipur: Brig Kuldip Singh Gulia a veteran of Sikh Regiment who served with both 4th and 6th battalion of the Sikh Regiment will embark on a remarkable journey to walk an astonishing one lakh steps in Jaipur on 27 Oct 2023 to commemorate this Infantry day celebration. Each of these 100 steps represents the brave sacrifice & valour of one of the 1000 soldiers who made up the 1 Sikh Battle Group.
Incidentally Brigadier Kuldip Singh Gulia approaches his 75th birthday on 28th October thus he dedicates each step taken in his remarkable life to the glory of Bharat Mata. During this 14-15 hour continuous walk, Brigadier Kuldip Singh Gulia will traverse the historical ramparts of Jaipur Forts and Avenues. His mission is to inspire fellow Indian citizens to join him in honouring the unparalleled courage and sacrifice of our Indian Army and Infantry soldiers. Their heroism was instrumental in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and preserving Jammu & Kashmir’s integrity.
Brigadier Kuldip Singh Gulia commanded 4 Sikh, an Infantry Brigade at Gandhi Nagar and was the Deputy GOC of Mountain Division in Bareilly. He has explored almost all ridges and forts around Jaipur and Sariska, trekked across all Indian Himalayan state while trekking over 60-70 kilometers in a single day on numerous occasions after turning 70 years old. Brigadier Gulia has written books to include ‘Human Ecology of Sikkim’ (Also served as PhD thesis), ‘Genesis of Disasters’ (In the wake of Gujarat Earthquake in 2001, and Rehabilitation Work) and contributed towards 15 volumes of ‘An Encyclopedia of Himalayan Studies’ and 5 volumes of ‘Encyclopedia of Human Ecology’.
Infantry Day is celebrated by Indian Armed forces every year on 27th Oct. Its history dates back to early Independence days as in October 1947, a critical event unfolded in the then Princely Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir as Pakistani Tribesmen and their army launched an attack on this region. In response to this an urgent call for assistance was made by Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir to seek military support to liberate the state from the clutches of the Pakistani invaders.
On 27th October 1948, during this critical moment in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, the Brave 1st Sikh Battalion landed at Srinagar Airport with enemy forces in close distance. This daring mission played a pivotal role in preventing the capture of Srinagar by the Pakistan Army and ultimately saved the region from falling into enemy hands.
