The Lion of Ladakh: Colonel Chhewang Rinchen and his many exploits

Lion of Ladakh, a book co-authored by a daughter of Col Rinchen, Dr Phunsog Angmo and Col Ajai K Raina (retd), a military historian, is one such effort. Published by Sabre and Quill under the aegis of the Military History Research Foundation, the book is a comprehensive catalogue of the life of Colonel Rinchen and his exploits right from the first Kashmir war of 1947-48 to the 1971 war. The fact that he won a bravery decoration for every war that independent India fought between 1947 and 1971 stands testimony to the courage, initiative and dedication of this hardy soldier from the icy land of Ladakh.

Again, not many are aware that Chhewang Richen was awarded a Maha Vir Chakra for bravery under fire as a mere 17-year-old in 1948, a Sena Medal in the 1962 war, a Mentioned-in-Despatches in the 1965 war and a second Maha Vir Chakra in the 1971 war. This is a feat that not many soldiers can boast of worldwide, let alone in India, and if they do they are few and far between.

Tracing the life of Col Rinchen from his childhood onwards, the book gives us a glance of the religious and psychological moorings that he enjoyed in the early years and how they tempered him to become a volunteer soldier in the 1947-48 war with barely any military training.

Like many distinguished soldiers who have had a penchant for arts like painting or poetry, Rinchen too had a flair for the colours. So adept was he with the brush and paint that he made good pocket money in his childhood selling his paintings in fairs and local festivals.

The young Rinchen got fascinated with soldiering at an early age and so involved was he with the craft of soldiering that he manufactured a crude bomb using unburnt gunpowder that he had in his collection of fired cartridges, discarded parts of old weapons etc.

The one thread that has a continuous presence in Chhewang Rinchen’s life is the Nubra Guards. This is all the volunteer force that he raised in 1948 to check the Pakistani invasion into Ladakh. The Nubra Guards would be the common denominator in all the wars that Rinchen fought in and whose help he took in repelling the enemy, be it the Pakistan army or the Chinese.

“Slender was the thread” is a phrase used for the Kashmir operations of 1947-48 but it also holds true for Ladakh. The fall of Leh may not have been prevented had it not been for some tough soldiers who marched across the Zojila pass to reach Leh and to arm and motivate the initial volunteers who resisted the Pakistani invaders.

The book aptly brings out the see-saw battles that took place across Ladakh. These may have resulted in complete capitulation like the garrison at Skardu had it not been for the fortitude of these brave few. At one point of time, the Pakistani invaders were at Nimu, just 28 km from the Leh airfield.

From being a Jemadar (Naib Subedar) in 7 Jammu and Kashmir Militia at the age of 17 in 1948 to being appointed an honorary colonel in the mid-1980s was a tumultuous life lived by Col Chhewang Rinchen. The book captures his exploits of 1962 war and 1965 war besides describing in detail the crowning glory of 1971, when he snatched Chalunka complex, Turtok, Tyakshi and Thang from Pakistani possession and returned them to India after 1947.

It is inevitable that a soldier such as Chhewang Rinchen will have certain idiosyncratic aspects too. His frequent run-ins with discipline and authority in the Army are as legendary in regimental folklore as his bravery. Considerate commanders protected him each time he cocked a snook at his superiors but this undoubtedly left him with a “reputation”, coupled with his “hard-drinking” ways.

A thorough footsoldier that he was, his ultimate nemesis was the Part D written examination for promotion, which he repeatedly failed to clear. This had an adverse effect on the trajectory of his career and he had to quit the Army. But even in such circumstances senior commanders held his hand, and he was brought back into uniform as a reemployed officer three years after he left with the local rank of lieutenant colonel in 1983 and was appointed officer commanding of a transit camp.

When he finally hung his uniform in 1986 he was given the honorary rank of colonel, something that he eminently deserved. He passed away in June 1997.

The Army and Ladakh Scouts remember Col Chhewang Rinchen in Ladakh with several memorials scattered across the region and a major bridge named after him by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in 2019. The Lion of Ladakh is an apt sobriquet for him and an apt title for a book on his life.