Jaswant Singh Gill

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Jaswant Singh Gill
Born
1939-11-22
Sathiala, Amritsar, Punjab (India)
Other names
Capsule Gill[1]
Years active
1989-2019
Known for
1989 Raniganj miners rescue operation


Jaswant Singh Gill (22 November 1939 – 26 November 2019) was an Indian engineer at Coal India known for his efforts in rescuing 65 coal miners trapped in a flooded mine in Raniganj, West Bengal, in 1989.

Early life and education

Gill was born on 22 November 1939 in Sathiala, Amritsar, Punjab, India.[2] He completed his early education at an Urdu School in Amritsar and later attended Khalsa College School. He pursued a B.Sc. (non-medical) from Khalsa College, Amritsar in 1959, and graduated in Mining Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand in 1965.[3]

Career

After completing his education, Gill started working for Chand Thapar & Bros (coal Sales) Limited in 1965 and later joined Coal India Limited in 1973.[4] He was known for his innovative approach and dedication to mining safety.[5]

1989 Raniganj rescue operation

On night of 13 November 1989 during a time blast at the Mahabir Colliery, Burdwan (Raniganj) in West Bengal a sudden flood trapped 71 miners in an underground mine (below 350 ft ground level).[6][7][8]

Gill was serving as the additional chief mining engineer at Chitra Mines but voluntarily reached the Raniganj coal mine and led a daring rescue operation which started early morning on 16 November 1989 at 2:30 AM and continued for 6 hours, he successfully rescued 65 miners.[9][10] He devised a plan to construct a steel capsule to transport miners to safety one by one.[11]

I believe that in a time of calamity, one doesn't have the time to be afraid. One has to act.[12]

His efforts were recognized with the prestigious 'Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak' by then-President of India, Ramaswamy Venkataraman, in 1991.[13][14][15]

Post retirement

Gill retired from Coal India in 1998 at the age of 60. In 2008, he was appointed as a member in Disaster management committee at Amritsar, Punjab (India).[16]Template:Better citation needed

2018 Meghalaya rescue operation

Gill was invited during 2018 Meghalaya mining accident by Conrad Sangma, 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya due to his expertise in mine mishaps for a rescue operation held in December 2018 at East Jaintia hills, Meghalaya, India.[17][18][19] Gill suggested Meghalaya state government to take help from Coal India.[20][21]

Personal life

Gill was married to Nirdosh Kaur, and they had two sons and two daughters (Poonam Gill and Hina Gill).His best friend in early days was chandra Dev Mishra from Nirsa[22][23] His elder son, Sarpreet Singh Gill is a cardiologist from Johns Hopkins University who returned to Amritsar in 2008, and his younger son, Randip Singh Gill, is an entrepreneur and real estate professional in Vancouver, Canada.[24]

Death

Gill died on 26 November 2019 due to cardiac arrest at his home in Amritsar, Punjab.[25][22]

Awards and honours

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Legacy

A roundabout in Majitha Road in Amritsar was named after Gill in 2021, two years after his death.[34] A capsule (replica of what Gill used in 1989 rescue mission) was installed at an Amritsar Roundabout in 2023, four years after his death.[3][35]

A film titled 'Mission Raniganj' , directed by Tinu Suresh Desai was released in 2023.[36][37][38] In the film, Akshay Kumar played the lead role of Gill.[39][40]

References

  1. ↑ 'Capsule Gill' Biopic: True Story of Mining Engineer Jaswant Gill, Who Saved 65 Lives, Mani, Sowmya. The Better India(2022-07-02). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  2. ↑ Netizens pay tribute to Er Jaswant Singh Gill who rescued 65 coal miners in West Bengal. The Tribune. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jaswant Singh Gill, heroic engineer who saved 65 lives, being honoured with memorial & film. The Times of India(2023-06-14). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  4. ↑ Real Story of Jaswant Singh Gill, Who Inspired Akshay Kumar's 'Mission Raniganj', Suryavanshi, Aditi. The Quint(2023-10-06). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  5. ↑ Jaswant Singh Gill: IIT Dhanbad engineer who saved 65 trapped coal miners. India Today(2023-09-26). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  6. ↑ Jaswant Singh Gill, The Braveheart Engineer Who Risked Own Life To Save 65 Miners. The Better India(2016-09-15). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  7. ↑ ये हैं 'द हीरो ऑफ रानीगंज', 6 घंटे में अकेले बचाई थी 65 मजदूरों की जान, Goyal, Khushbu. Amar Ujala(2017-06-09). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  8. ↑ 'મિશન રાનીગંજ'ના રિયલ હીરો જસવંત સિંહ ગિલ: 350 ફૂટ પેટાળમાંથી 65 લોકોને બચાવ્યા, પુત્ર કહે છે, 'પપ્પાનો આદેશ હતો, પ્લાન મારો છે, હું જ નીચે જઈને સૌને બચાવીશ'. Divya Bhaskar(2023-10-07). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  9. ↑ Hero of Amritsar, Saini, Neha. The Tribune(2023-10-07). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  10. ↑ BBC World Service - Witness History, India's capsule coal mine rescue. BBC. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  11. ↑ Jaswant Singh Gill: A Brave Engineer Who Saved 64 Trapped Coal Miners By Risking His Own Life, Tiwari, Anuj. Indiatimes(2022-07-12). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  12. ↑ Jaswant Gill, man of courage and records, Saini, Neha. The Tribune(2018-07-08). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  13. ↑ Mission Raniganj's real story: How Jaswant Singh Gill, the inspiration behind Akshay Kumar's character, saved lives of 65 miners. The Indian Express(2023-10-04). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  14. ↑ अक्षय कुमार की मिशन रानीगंज फ़िल्म के असली हीरो जसवंत सिंह गिल कौन हैं?, Vandana. BBC News Hindi(2023-10-05). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  15. ↑ कौन हैं रियल लाइफ हीरो जसवंत सिंह गिल? जिनकी कहानी बड़े पर्दे पर लेकर आ रहे अक्षय कुमार, Sharma, Amit. Aaj Tak(2023-09-06). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  16. ↑ National Disaster Management Authority Of India, 1998 Appointments
  17. ↑ Mining expert suggests Meghalaya govt to seek help of CIL for rescue operation. ETEnergyworld.com(2018-12-21). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  18. ↑ Centre to send help to Meghalaya to rescue trapped miners: CM Conrad Sangma. Hindustan Times(2018-12-19). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  19. ↑ Jaswant Gill joins Meghalaya rescue operation. The Tribune(2018-12-21). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  20. ↑ Mining engineer, who rescued 64 from WB flooded quarry in 1989, to aid Meghalaya search ops. The New Indian Express(2018-12-20). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  21. ↑ Meghalaya coal mine mishap: Mining expert visits site, suggests state government should take Coal India's help. Firstpost(2018-12-20). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Jaswant Singh Gill, the Man who Saved 65 Miners in Bengal, Passes Away at 80. India Today NE(2019-11-28). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  23. ↑ Meet Jaswant Singh Gill's Family Who's Super Elated With Akshay Kumar's Film 'Mission Raniganj', Satija, Garima. Indiatimes(2023-10-07). Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  24. ↑ Jaswant Singh Gill's family reacts to Akshay Kumar's portrayal of real hero in Mission Raniganj: 'Nobody could...', Singh, Simran. DNA India. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  25. ↑ गर्व की बात: अमृतसर के जसवंत सिंह को मिलेगा कोहिनूर-ए-हिंद, रानीगंज खान से 65 लोगों को बचाकर पाई थी शोहरत. Amar Ujala. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  26. ↑ Recalling heroic efforts of 'Capsule Gill' to rescue trapped coal miners in Raniganj, Paul, GS. The Tribune(2024-11-17). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  27. ↑ Who is Jaswant Singh Gill? Man whose daring act made it to World Book of Record, life inspired Akshay's Mission Raniganj. DNA India. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  28. ↑ Er. Jaswant Singh Gill. worldbookofrecords.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  29. ↑ Er.Jaswant Singh Gill. sikhsthesupreme.in. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  30. ↑ Who Is Jaswant Singh Gill? Know The Man Behind Akshay Kumar's Survival-Drama Mission Raniganj, Bhadra, Piyali. English Jagran(2023-10-05). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  31. ↑ Amritsar-based engineer honoured posthumously, Paul, GS. The Tribune(2024-09-24). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  32. ↑ IIT से बीटेक, अब मिलेगा मरणोपरांत 'कोहनूर-ए-हिंद' खिताब, जानें कौन थे मिशन रानीगंज के रियल हीरो जसवंत गिल. TV9 Bharatvarsh(2024-11-20). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  33. ↑ जसवंत सिंह गिल को मरणोपरांत मिलेगा कोहिनूर-ए-हिंद अवॉर्ड. Punjab Kesari(2024-11-20). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  34. ↑ जसवंत सिंह गिल को सम्मान: इंजीनियर के नाम पर रखा गया मजीठा रोड स्थित चौक का नाम, 2 साल पहले हुआ था देहांत. Dainik Bhaskar(2021-11-09). Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  35. ↑ Memorial dedicated to Capsule Gill to be opened on Majitha Road soon. The Tribune. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  36. ↑ कोण आहे जसवंत सिंग गिल? अक्षय कुमार प्रेरणा देणाऱ्या रीयल लाईफ हीरोची कहाणी. Lokmat(2023-09-07). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  37. ↑ Expresso Bollywood Feature on Jaswant Singh Gill: The Real-Life Hero Behind Akshay Kumar's Character in Mission Raniganj. The Indian Express(2023-10-15). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  38. ↑ Akshay Kumar soon portray real-life hero Sardar Jaswant Singh Gill. The Statesman(2022-11-16). Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  39. ↑ Mission Raniganj: Akshay Kumar Remembers Jaswant Singh Gill On Engineers Day. India.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  40. ↑ Akshay Kumar Pays Tribute To Real-Life Hero Jaswant Singh Gill On Engineer's Day. ABP News(2023-09-15). Retrieved 2025-01-03.

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