‘Baba’ Harbhajan Singh, Soldier Who Is Still Guarding Nathu La Border 50 Years After His Death

There are numerous tales of sacrifice, benevolence, abnegation, fortitude and indomitable bravery in the Indian armed forces. Be it land, sea or air, the Indian armed forces have done acts that are cited as exemplars of the human spirit and illustrated for generations to follow.

Over the course of their history, the Indian armed forces have scripted stories that are immortal in every sense. But besides the tales of glory and sacrifice are some amazing stories that sound unbelievable but have over the years become part of the life soldiers. One such story is of ‘Baba’ Harbhajan Singh.

Soldiers posted in Nathu La at Sikkim revere Harbhajan Singh as their guide, protector and hero. What is surprising is that Harbhajan Singh was not a godman; he was a soldier like all his other comrades.

So how did a soldier become a ‘baba’? The incredible elevation of solider Harbahajan Singh to ‘Baba’ started after he died. But before that, it is important to know how he died.

Singh was a soldier of the 23 Punjab Regiment. Born on 30 August 1946 in a village in what is now in Punjab of Pakistan, Singh studied in a village school before completing his Class 10 in March 1955 from DAV High School in Patti. He subsequently enlisted as a soldier in the Punjab Regiment on 9 February 1966.

Some reports say that Singh fought the 1965 Indo-Pak war but that becomes unlikely because he was commissioned only after the war. Perhaps they are confusing Singh with Major Harbhajan Singh, who was associated with 18 Rajput and was posted at Nathu La when he attained martyrdom in 1967.

The death

A plaque erected in his memory at his Samadhi at Nathu La states how the Sikh soldier lost his life. The plaque says that Harbhajan Singh was attached to the 23 Punjab when he was posted at the Himalayan heights of the Nathu La.

The strategically important pass located 14,200 feet above sea level was the site of a very important battle in 1967 in which the Indian Army beat the Chinese and ensured that Sikkim remains a part of India. It was in this battle that Major Harbhajan Singh of 18 Rajput sacrificed his life for the country and was honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC).

It is not clear when the Singh of 23 Punjab was deployed near Nathu La.

What is known is that on 4 October 1968, Singh was escorting a mule column from his battalion headquarters at Tukla to Deng Chukla. He slipped as he tried crossing the treacherous terrain and fell into a fast flowing stream leading to his death from drowning. His body was found three days later.

Singh was cremated with full military honours, as is the tradition. But it is after this incident that the legend of Harbhajan Singh started.

From soldier to Baba

It is believed that a soldier from 23 Punjab posted at the site had a dream in which Singh asked for the construction of a Samadhi. Soldiers from 23 Punjab constructed the Samadhi at Chhokhya Chho. It was reconstructed at its present site at 14,000 feet near Nathu La in 1982.

Over the years, Samadhi grew into a shrine thronged by tourists from across the country. The shrine is guarded 24×7 by at least one soldier of the brigade at Nathu La.

Inside the shrine is a bed, the uniform of Harbhajan Singh and his service boots. There are photos of him which are garlanded every day. The bed, the boots and the uniform are regularly cleaned as if done for a living soldier.

The Ghost?

Soldiers believe that Harbhajan Singh’s ghost watches over them. Like a guardian angel, his apparition ensures that the soldiers remain safe at the icy heights and warns them of impending danger. It is also believed that the Baba grants the boon of those who pay their respects to him.

Numerous plaques with the message “Baba Ji Bless Us” have been installed at the shrine by the various battalions of the Indian Army posted in the high-altitude terrain of Nathu La.

Soldiers believe that the Baba will warn them of an attack from the Chinese side at least three days in advance.

What would surprise you is that even the Chinese believe in the ghost of Baba Harbhajan Singh. It has been reported that during flag meetings between Chinese and Indian soldiers in the area, even the Chinese side leaves one chair vacant in memory of the soldier-turned-angel.

Even after his death, the Indian Army treated him as a soldier. The force ceremonially retired him as an Honorary Captain only a few years ago. Till then, his paycheck was sent home in Kuka (also called Kuke) village in Kapurthala district of Punjab every month.

Every year, a berth on the Dibrugarh or Lohit Express was booked in his name and three soldiers accompanied his portrait and suitcase to his village.

Reports say that leaves of other soldiers were cancelled when the Baba was away. The practice was discontinued in 2006.

Family

He may have become a revered guardian angel to the soldiers posted in the high Himalayan range but there was a time when Singh was just another farmer.

“He wasn’t going to be a soldier,” said S Rattan Singh, the 62-year-old younger brother of the soldier.

Speaking to Motherland Magazine, Singh said, “He worked as a farmer like our father but then there was a drought so everyone suggested he should join the army.”

Harbhajan Singh was a religious man, according to his brother. He always used to visit the gurudwara in their village Kuka.

According to Rattan, the Chinese had written a letter to the Indians asking who was the soldier they saw riding on a horse every night, referring to Singh’s apparition.

The family, too, keeps a room separate for Harbhajan Singh. Baljinder Singh, Harbahajan’s nephew, said that family members, including the soldier’s mother, have been visited by the ‘baba’ in their dreams asking them to make a room for him.

Healing powers?

Devotees who visit the shrine dedicated to the Baba leave bottles of water to be blessed with healing powers. So hundreds of tourists offer water bottles and then take it back for consumption of ailing family members.