BENGALURU: A book isn’t bound by time and it can go anywhere,” said Major DP Singh, India’s first blade runner, a motivational speaker and a Kargil war veteran, who was in the city recently for the launch of his first book, Grit: The Major Story. The book was launched at Bookworm, Church Street on July 20, just ahead of Kargil Vijay Diwas (July 26) and is a graphical retelling of the major’s story and his experience fighting during the frontlines of the Kargil War.
Over a year ago, VR Ferose, a writer based out of California and a friend of Singh’s, came to him with the idea of writing a book about his journey. With Sriram Jagannatan, an illustrator from Chennai who illustrated the major’s story, Singh exchanged notes and Sriram brought these stories to life and the pair ensured that an acute sense of detail was paid to the portrayal of the armed forces. “As a speaker, I understand that to connect with people, the auditory part is important but so is the visual part. The pictures you use leave a long lasting impression,” Singh said, when asked about the graphic nature of the book. He went on to explain that visual stimulants help one remember and understand things better. “Furthermore, even children can access the content of the book and so there is a variety in the readers.”
On July 15 1999, Singh was affected with gangrene and had to be evacuated from the battlefield by his soldiers who risked their lives to save him. In fact, the doctor had declared the major dead but he fought through the gangrene infection and even jokingly celebrates July 15 as his death anniversary.
While the journey since then may have been difficult, Singh proved that he was not one to give up easily. In 2009, he ran his first half-marathon with an artificial leg. In 2011, however, the Indian Army provided him with a blade. “The first four-five blade runs were torturous because the blade is used for extreme activities. To use such a prosthesis for an endurance activity was not possible here in India. The craftsmanship was missing,” he recalled. The blade would leave open wounds on his skin after running and his legs would be covered in bandages for 10-15 days after every run. But “the desire to live life king size, to cherish the value of life and to never compromise on the quality of life” is what kept the veteran going.
A true proponent of the never-say-never spirit, the major even skydived in Nashik in March this year, and made history by becoming one of the few, if not the first, persons with disability to do a solo skydive. After that, he trained in Canada and jumped out of a plane at 12,500ft seven more times there.
It comes as no surprise then that one of the main themes in the book is that of change through introspection. According to him, this change should be the ability to adapt to the constant change around you and to make the best out of it. The story conveys the message that the time spent in resisting and blaming things that don’t occur as per your expectations, is time wasted. “Life is much more than that, embrace the change and make the best of what you have. That is where the progress lies,” he said.
When asked who his biggest critic is, the major said that he would not like to give that credit to anyone else but himself. “I should be my biggest critic because unless I check and counter myself, I will not progress,” he opined.