Template:Infobox military person
Haripal Kaushik, VrC (2 February 1934 – 25 January 2018) was an Indian field hockey player, military officer and television commentator.[1][2]
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.[3] He received the Arjuna Award for excellence in athletic competition in 1998.[4]
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 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.[5]
Kaushik was awarded the Vir Chakra for "exemplary courage and self-disregard" on the battlefield. [4] He rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel.[1]
Haripal Stadium at the Indian Army's Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre in Ahmednagar is named in his honor. [4]
Vir Chakra
The citation for the Vir Chakra awarded to him reads: Template:Quotation
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.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hockey Olympian Lt Col Haripal Kaushik passes away. The Tribune. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ↑ Hari Pal Kaushik. database Olympics.com(2006). Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ↑ Hari Pal Kaushik. SR/Olympic sports.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Raising of the Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre. SALUTE to the Indian Soldier(10 September 2017). Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ↑ Unsung Battles of 1962{{#if:Singh Kler|, Singh Kler}. Lancer Publishers(1995). ISBN 9781897829097
Further reading
Template:Olympic medalists for India Template:India FH Squad 1956 Summer Olympics Template:India FH Squad 1964 Summer Olympics Template:India FH Squad 1966 Asian Games