Chennai, India chakravif@gmail.com +919962716812

Capt. Ram singh thakuri

(1914 – 2002) – (Jharkhand)

Capt. Ram singh thakuri (Aged 88) born on August 15, 1914, in Bhagsu Khaniara village near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India.  Capt Ram Singh joined the IInd Gorkha Rifles in 1927 at Dharamsala cantonment as a recruit boy in the band. He earned the King George VI medal while serving in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa between 1937 and 1939. After being promoted in 1941 to Company Havildar Major, he was sent to Singapore and Malaya with his unit during World War II.

On February 15, 1942, Japan conquered Singapore, which gave a fillip to the INA. Capt Ram Singh also joined the INA to free himself from the clutches of the Japanese. In 1944, Subhas Chandra Bose decorated Capt Ram Singh with a gold medal, which Eneral Lokanand presented to him at Rangoon in the presence of all INA officers on January 23, 1944.

After serving in the INA, Capt Ram Singh was recruited into the 3rd Battalion PAC at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, in 1948. He suffered an epilepsy attack in 2001 and died on April 15, 2002, after suffering from ill health for nearly a year.

During his long career, Captain Ram Singh received a number of awards, including the George VI Medal in 1937, the Netaji Gold Medal (Azad Hind) in 1943, the Uttar Pradesh 1st Governor Gold Medal in 1956, the President Police Medal in 1972, the UP Sangeet Natak Akademi (UP Music and Drama Academy) Award in 1979, the Sikkim Government Mitrasen Award in 1993, and the First Azad Hind Fauj Award by the West Bengal Government in 1996.