->Lancepark at 19:13, 5 October 2021

2021-10-05T19:13:15Z

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{{short description|Indian field hockey player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_suffix = [[Vir Chakra|VrC]]
| image = Haripal Kaushik.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|02|02|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2018|01|25|1934|02|02}}
| death_place = [[Jalandhar]], India
| nickname = Crisis Man
| birth_name = Haripal Kaushik
| allegiance = {{IND}}
| branch = {{army|India}}
| serviceyears =
| unit = [[Sikh Regiment]]
| awards = [[File:Vir Chakra ribbon bar.svg|30px]] [[Vir Chakra]]
| rank = [[File:Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army.svg|25px]] [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| module = {{Infobox sportsperson
| embed = yes
| sport = [[Field hockey]]
| position = [[Field hockey#Formations|Inside-Right]]
| height = 5 ft 10 in
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | [[File:Field hockey pictogram.svg|center|40px]] Men's [[Field hockey|Field Hockey]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{IND}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Field hockey at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Field hockey at the Summer Olympics|field hockey]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne]]|[[Field hockey at the 1956 Summer Olympics|Team Competition]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo]]|[[Field hockey at the 1964 Summer Olympics|Team Competition]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Asian Games]] }}
[[File:Asian Games logo.svg|center|40px]]
{{MedalGold | [[1966 Asian Games]]|[[Field hockey at the 1966 Asian Games|Team Competition]]}}
}}
}}

'''Haripal Kaushik''', [[Vir Chakra|VrC]] (2 February 1934 – 25 January 2018) was an [[India]]n [[field hockey]] player, military officer and television commentator.<ref name=Trib>{{cite news | last = Khaira | first =Rachna | title =Hockey Olympian Lt Col Haripal Kaushik passes away| newspaper =[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] | location =[[Chandigarh]] | url =http://www.tribuneindia.com/mobi/news/punjab/hockey-olympian-lt-col-haripal-kaushik-passes-away/534490.html | access-date =27 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=KAUSHHAR01 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070208220403/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=KAUSHHAR01 | url-status =dead | archive-date =2007-02-08 | title =Hari Pal Kaushik | date =2006 | website =database Olympics.com | access-date =27 January 2018 }}</ref>

==Field hockey==
He won gold medals in the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] and the [[1964 Summer Olympics]]. He was assistant captain of the team that won the gold medal in the 1966 [[Asian Games]], and was later a field hockey administrator and television commentator.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ka/hari-pal-kaushik-1.html | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235315/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ka/hari-pal-kaushik-1.html | url-status =dead | archive-date =2020-04-17 | title =Hari Pal Kaushik | website = SR/Olympic sports| quote =also was Assistant Captain in 1966 when India won the gold medal at the Asian Games. Nine times Kaushik played for the Service XI team in the All-India hockey tournaments, captaining the team four times. He later became a hockey coach for the Sikh Regiment Centre team. He also served as an administrator in the sport and a commentator on televised hockey games. }}</ref> He received the [[Arjuna Award]] for excellence in athletic competition in 1998.<ref name =SALUTE/>

==Military service==
Commissioned into the [[Indian Army]] in 1959, Kaushik served in the 1st Battalion of the [[Sikh Regiment]].

In the early days of the 1962 [[Sino-Indian War]], Kaushik was commanding the forward company at the [[Bum La Pass|Battle of Bumla]] along the border between India and China when the Chinese [[People's Liberation Army]] invaded on 23 October. During heavy combat with much larger enemy forces, he led a successful retreat, saving the unit's heavy machine guns and mortars.<ref>{{cite book | last =Singh Kler | first =Gurdip | title =Unsung Battles of 1962| publisher =Lancer Publishers | date =1995 | pages =3, 224–233 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=hciHTVUILb4C&q=Haripal+Kaushik&pg=PA3
| isbn =9781897829097 }}</ref>

Kaushik was awarded the [[Vir Chakra]] for "exemplary courage and self-disregard" on the battlefield. <ref name =SALUTE/> He rose to the rank of [[Army ranks and insignia of India#Commissioned officers|lieutenant-colonel]].<ref name=Trib/>

Haripal Stadium at the Indian Army's [[Mechanised Infantry Regiment|Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre]] in [[Ahmednagar]] is named in his honor. <ref name =SALUTE>{{cite news | title =Raising of the Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre | newspaper =SALUTE to the Indian Soldier | date =10 September 2017 | url =https://salute.co.in/raising-of-the-mechanised-infantry-regimental-centre/ | access-date =27 January 2018 }}</ref>

==Vir Chakra==
The citation for the [[Vir Chakra]] awarded to him reads:
{{Quotation|<center>'''CITATION'''<br>
'''(LIEUTENANT HARI PAL KAUSHAK)'''<br></center>
Lieutenant Hari Pal Kaushak was commanding a Company holding the Tongpengla position in N.E.F.A. At 05.30hrs on 23rd October 1962 the Chinese started attacking with a Regiment on the Bumla axis with the intention of breaking through to Towang. His company's position was first attacked by a Chinese Battalion, but the attack was repulsed, with heavy losses, by his forward platoon. After the fall of the forward platoon, a second Battalion of the enemy attacked on a wide front trying to overrun the Company's position. Lieutenant Kaushak moved from one section position to another under enemy fire encouraging his troops. He was a source of inspiration to his men who continued to fight with great determination under his leadership. Eventually when under heavy enemy pressure he was ordered to withdraw. he handled the withdrawal skilfully and managed to clear, in the face of enemy fire, all his personnel and weapons including heavy mortars and medium machine guns.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://gallantryawards.gov.in/Awardee/hari-pal-kaushak | title=Hari Pal Kaushak | publisher=Gallantry Awards, Ministry of Defence, Government of India | access-date=12 February 2020 }}</ref>}}

==Family and later years==
He was married to Prem Bala Kaushik, who died before him. They had one daughter, Veronica. He died at his home in the [[Jalandhar]] [[cantonment]], after suffering from dementia for several years.<ref name=Trib/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[http://www.tribuneindia.com/mobi/news/punjab/braveheart-and-hockey-wizard-farewell/534879.html Braveheart and hockey wizard, farewell: Lt Col Haripal Kaushik was a rare combination of valour and sporting proficiency]

{{Olympic medalists for India}}
{{India FH Squad 1956 Summer Olympics}}
{{India FH Squad 1964 Summer Olympics}}
{{India FH Squad 1966 Asian Games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaushik, Haripal}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:Olympic field hockey players of India]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for India]]
[[Category:Field hockey players at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Field hockey players at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Indian male field hockey players]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Arjuna Award]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in field hockey]]
[[Category:Asian Games medalists in field hockey]]
[[Category:Field hockey players at the 1966 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Neurological disease deaths in India]]
[[Category:Deaths from dementia]]
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists for India]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1966 Asian Games]]

Haripal Kaushik - Revision history

->Lancepark at 19:13, 5 October 2021