Major Somnath Sharma: The First Recipient Of The Param Vir Chakra & India's Braveheart

Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient of the highest military honour in India, the Param Vir Chakra, in 1950. At the time he was only 24.

Despite a fracture in his arm, Major Somnath fought with bravery. He led his battalion to Budgam in Kashmir in October 1947, to thwart Pakistani infiltration and lost his life. His last message to the Brigade Headquarters was ¡®The enemy is only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round.¡¯

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Early life:

Major Somnath Sharma was born in Dadh district of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh (then Punjab province) on January 31, 1923. He was a part of a military family wherein every person in his family like his father, Major General Amar Nath Sharma, his brothers, Lt. General Surender Nath Sharma and General Vishwa Nath Sharma, and sister, Major Kamla Tewari, a medical doctor, all served in the Army.

He did his schooling from Sherwood College in Nainital and by the age of 10, he was enrolled in the Prince of Wales Royal Military College, Dehradun. He later joined the Royal Military Academy. On February 22, 1942, his military career began as he was commissioned into the 8th Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment later he joined 4th Battalion Kumaon Regiment) of the British Indian Army. He was in the same regiment his maternal uncle Captain Krishna Dutt Vasdeva had served.

Major Somnath Sharma fought many battles but one of the prominent ones was World War II under Colonel K S Thimmayya in Burma with the British Army. In the very first posting, he was deployed in Arakan and proved his mettle. In Arakan, while fighting against the Japanese, one of the soldiers got injured. Despite gunfire from the enemy, he carried the injured soldier on his shoulder to safety. He was also awarded a ¡®Mention of Dispatch¡¯ for this courageous act.

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Battle of Badgam: November 1947

On November 3, 1947, Major Somnath Sharma and his company were ordered to reach Badgam village to take charge of the situation there. His left hand was injured after a hockey match and had to get a plaster cast over it. But the major still insisted on fighting for the nation alongside the jawans. Badgam was one of the most dangerous routes as the Pakistani raiders were marching towards Srinagar.

In the village, a group of 500 raiders proceeded towards Badgam from Gulmarg and soon surrounded the company from three sides. Major Sharma¡¯s company was under heavy fire and bombardment. They sustained heavy casualties. They were heavily outnumbered, but Major knew that the Badgam village played an important role, in that the loss of their position here would end up making the city of Srinagar and the airport vulnerable.

Sharma urged his company to fight bravely, he also took the task of filling magazines and giving them to the soldiers operating light machine guns. He was running post to post, keeping the motivation up in his team without even thinking about his own life. While fighting the enemy with all bravery, a mortar shell exploded in the middle of the ammunition which resulted in an explosion and he was martyred.

By the time the relief team reached Badgam, their position was lost. The 200 casualties suffered by the raiders, slowed their transmission. The troops flew to Srinagar and blocked all routes to the city. It is said that Major Somnath Sharma played a vital role in achieving the results.

Major Sharma at the young age of 25 years laid his life for the nation and became the first recipient of Param Vir Chakra of independent India. His story of bravery and courage is a true inspiration for all of us and the future generations as well.