Ghosts of the Himalayas; as Revered by the Indian Army

There is just something about a ghost story that makes you want to sit

beside a fire with your legs curled up and a warm cup of coffee in your

hand or maybe even scotch on the rocks, depending on what suits

your fancy. And now imagine yourself in an alien land with treacherous

terrain, freezing temperature, miles away from family and anything

familiar. Won't a ghost story spice up your life a little bit? Maybe, thats

why these legends/ ghosts have made their way into the Indian Army's

folklore, giving them respite from their tedious and mundane activities

up in the Himalayas.

The Legend of Baba Harbhajan Singh:

“Harbhajan Baba ki Jai”, says the taxi driver as he crosses the rickety

bridge over the Teesta River. ‘Harbhajan Baba’ is revered across Sikkim

as a sacred entity. But who is he?.

Late Sepoy Harbhajan Singh was enrolled into the Punjab Regiment on

9 Feb 1966. Born in the village of Browndal in Kapurthala district of

Punjab, he enlisted in the army at an early age and found himself

posted on the misty heights of the Sino- Indian border near Nathula

Pass. The year 1968 saw heavy rainfall and vicious floods in the

region. On 4 Oct 1968, while escorting a mule caravan from his

battalion headquarters at Tukla to Deng Chukla, he fell into a fast-

flowing stream and was washed away. The search for his body

continued for a couple of days but was abandoned due to inclement

weather. And one day, Harbhajan Singh appeared in the dream of one

of the sepoys in his unit. In the dream, he informed his colleague that

he was no longer alive and told him the exact spot where his body

would be found. He asked him to construct a Samadhi at the spot

where his body would be found. After saying that he will always patrol

in the area and never give up being a soldier, he disappeared. The man

woke up and dismissed the dream as a manifestation of his grief for

Harbhajan Singh’s loss.

It wasn’t until another member of the same unit had the same dream

down to the last detail that suspicions were aroused. It seemed an

incredible coincidence that two people could have dreamed the same

sequence of events. When a search party was dispatched to the spot

that had been described in the dream, late Sepoy Harbhajan Singh’s

body was found. He was cremated with full military honours and a

Samadhi was made at Chhokya Cho as per the wishes that he had

expressed in his dream. The first part of the dream had been accurate

and what about the second half about remaining a soldier forever?

Soon reports of a man seen patrolling the area began filtering in.

Soldiers deployed in the area would talk of a lone uniformed man on

horse patrolling the region. Forces on the other side of the border

confirmed these reports and claimed that they too had seen the ghost

rider. Over the years, soldiers in the area began seeing Harbhajan

Singh in their dreams where he instructed them of loopholes and

unprotected areas from where the Chinese could attack. His

instructions generally proved to be accurate and the legend of Baba

Harbhajan Singh grew. Meanwhile, the popularity of the shrine was

also growing. It gained significance as a religious spot and people

came with the faith of having their problems solved or their infirmities

cured by the Baba who had come back from the dead. The Samadhi

dedicated to Harbhajan Singh consisted of a three room complex

where a bed would be laid out for him and his uniform and boots would

be displayed for the visitors. Caretakers of the Samadhi would swear

that each morning the bed sheets would be crushed as if someone had

slept in the bed the previous night and the carefully polished boots

would be soiled and covered with mud. This conundrum only added to

the Babas followers who came in truckloads.

The Indian army realised the importance of Late Sepoy Harbhajan

Singh and in honour of his contribution, he was promoted to Honorary

Captain. A pay check would be sent home to Kapurthala every month

and more interestingly, he would go home on annual leave on

September 14 every year. Soldiers would pack his trunk with basic

essentials and ‘Capt Harbhajan’ would be accompanied by two

soldiers all the way to Kapurthala by train and brought back after a

month the same way. This tradition continued for years until he was

retired a few years back.

Following the twisting narrow roads at a steep incline, taxis and cars

snake their way to 14000 ft to visit Harbhajan Baba every year. Devout

believers from all over Sikkim and Bengal visit the Samadhi bringing

the sick and the elderly in the hope of a miracle. They bring bottles of

water and take back those lying there. It is believed that water left at

the Samadhi over a period of time turns to holy water and is capable of

curing ailments. Food is served to the devotees who make the arduous

journey by the soldiers looking after the Samadhi.

The Samadhi dedicated to Harbhajan Baba is located amidst a

beautiful panorama of high mountains broken in places by gushing

waterfalls and dotted by multi-coloured shrubs. En route, one crosses

beautiful lakes and hamlets that resemble something out of a picture

postcard. One such village is Kyangnosla. The ascent is steep and

often takes skilled driving. In order to reach the Samadhi, a detour

must be taken along the road that leads to the Sino- Indian border post

of Nathula which was opened for trade recently. The Samadhi attracts

people from all religions – In its own way, it has promoted a certain

secular equanimity in the region – a rare feat in today’s world.

Taxi drivers and soldiers passing through the area generally stop at the

Samadhi to pay obeisance to the revered Baba. Not doing so is

supposed to bring bad luck. In a society that is dictated by tradition

and supported on the pillars of superstition, it is not uncommon to find

a legend of this kind. Perhaps the Chinese are just as superstitious as

we are because at the monthly flag meetings between the two nations

at Nathula, the Chinese set a chair aside for Harbhajan Baba.

And as the red flag bespeckled with stars flaps in the icy wind next to

the tricolour, a lone figure perhaps stands and watches- ever alert, ever

watchful, ever zealous, and ever protective of his country’s honour. A

zeal that has lasted beyond death.