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For 77-year-old Lucknow resident Vijay Kumari, September is not just another month on the calendar — it is a time of remembrance, pride, and pain. Sixty years ago, her husband, Major Dhirendra Singh of the Kumaon Regiment, was just 25 when an enemy mine blew off his leg during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. She recalled that she was at her parents' place in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur when a letter from the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion (Rifles) of the Kumaon Regiment reached her in-laws' place on September 23, 1965, informing them about the incident. 

 

"It was exactly 60 years ago that my husband, barely 25 then, lost his leg as an enemy mine exploded during the Indo-Pak war in Kashmir," Kumari said, recalling how, despite being seriously injured, her husband had silenced the enemy guns -- an act for which he received the Vir Chakra, the country's third highest wartime gallantry award. 

 

"This is indeed an emotional time of the year for me, as this month overwhelms me with the memories of my husband's bravery. His steadfast determination and exemplary courage and leadership are aspects that make me immensely proud," she added. 

 

Though Singh passed away in April this year, Kumari said his medals and the telegram addressed to him, which read "The president is pleased to award Vir Chakra to you for gallantry", are among her prized possessions. 

 

Talking about the day she first learnt about her husband's injury, Kumari said, "Back then, communication channels weren't as fast. Since the 1965 war started, letters from my husband were the only source of information." 

 

 

The wife said he would be brief in his communication, usually saying, 'I am well'. "We would mostly rely on the radio for detailed news." she said. 

 

"The letter informed us that my husband had suffered a serious leg injury on the battlefield," Kumari said. "The then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had also met my husband at the hospital where he was admitted following his injury." Life changed drastically thereafter, Kumari said. 

 

"By April 1966, my husband had got a prosthetic leg and was posted in Lucknow, but in 1971, he was declared medically unfit...yet he was doubly determined that our sons should serve in the Army. He was immensely pleased when he attended their passing out parade," she said. 

 

Kumari described her husband as "mentally tough", which she said helped him cope with the trauma of having to leave the Army on medical grounds.

"Synchronisation of movement with a prosthetic leg wasn't easy... Leaving the Army was equally hard. But, he was mentally very tough and could ride a scooter, drive a car or even a tractor. He didn't want his children to lose heart," she said. 

 

Singh breathed his last at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi on April 4, 2025. The citation at the investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 2, 1966 reads -- On 18th September, 1965, Major Dhirendra Nath Singh was commanding a company of a Battalion of Kumaon Regiment which was ordered to capture Keri. 

 

The assaulting platoon which rushed forward soon ran into an enemy minefield covered by LMGs (light machine guns) and artillery fire, as a result of which it sustained a number of casualties. Major Singh immediately moved in front and encouraged his men to cross the minefield and attack the enemy.

 

He himself led the charge, but almost immediately he was injured by a mine blast. He lost a leg, and was lying wounded in the minefield when he saw enemy MMG(medium machine gun) firing from nearby bunker, according to the citation. 

 

Singh crawled forward and taking an LMG from one of his men, started firing at the enemy MMG and silenced it. Under his able leadership, the post was captured by his men after fierce hand fighting. 

 

"In this action, Major Dhirendra Nath Singh displayed undaunted courage, determination and leadership of a high order," the citation said.