As 1 Para celebrates 250 Raising Day,8 veterans recreate the jump

A month shy of his 75th birthday,Lt Col (retd) Gurdev Singh surprised many a couple of days ago when he donned the army fatigues once again and made a static line jump from AN-32 at the Paharipur Drop Zone. In doing so,he became the oldest former 1 Para officer to have taken the jump this year.

“The jump was just an excuse. Occasions like these give old-timers like us an opportunity to touch base with the newer lot. And given the response 1 Para has been getting over the years in terms of personnel opting to work here,it is clear that there is no shortage of young army personnel who are willing to go that extra mile to be a part of this unit,” says Singh.

“The idea behind allowing veterans to jump is to motivate the newer lot,” says Brigadier (retd) M Kumar.

Currently 86 years of age,Kumar made his last jump as late as last year.

“Everybody is scared when it comes to jumping. But when you see 70-plus-year-old men jumping,you get motivated. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am to have missed out on this opportunity today,” Kumar,who could not take the jump because of a medical condition,adds. Interestingly,all the veterans taking the jump have to give an undertaking that they are doing it at their own risk.

The air of mystery and of being a super elite force that surrounds the 1 Para (Special Forces) is a result of the kind of operations—ranging from reconnaissance to intel gathering to overt and covert counter-terror and counter-insurgency operations—it is called in to undertake from time to time.

Of late,1 Para has been drawing comparisons with the US Navy Seals which conducted the now famous operation that led to the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.

“Our paltan has been very fortunate. We have not missed any major operations,” says Colonel Sant Kumar Bhimwal,a 72-year-old retired armyman,who also took the jump with Lt Col Gurdev Singh on October 15.

Raised in 1761,1 Para played active operational roles in defending Jammu and Kashmir in 1947-48 and the Indo-Pak Wars of 1965 and 1971. In the 1965 War,1 Para was instrumental in capturing the strategic Haji Pir Pass. The Pass,which was subsequently handed back to Pakistan,now falls in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

1 Para’s capabilities were again on display during the 1999 Kargil war. In May 1999,the unit was placed under a Parachute Brigade for operations to clear intrusions up to the Line of Control. The unit undertook number of varied tasks in assisting the formation.

Getting into 1 Para is voluntary. An army personnel opting for it has to undergo a three-month probation which decides the fate of the personnel in the Unit.

“As many as 60-80 per cent personnel do not last the probation period,” an official explains. “And it is not just the physical toughness which goes into the making of a para commando. Whether a personnel will last in this unit majorly depends on mental toughness and an ability to be a team player,” he adds.