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Major DP Singh is no ordinary soldier. Known as India’s first Blade Runner and Asia’s first disabled solo skydiver, he holds multiple Limca Records: for being India’s first amputee to run half marathons, the first Blade Runner of India, and the first Blade Runner to run in high altitudes.
He has been honoured with the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities by the Government of India, the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award, and was part of the historical committee under Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to reduce litigation for Ministry of Defence employees.
As the Indian Brand Ambassador for Wings for Life World Run, he has pledged his organs and continues to inspire countless Indians to live beyond limitations. But above all, he remains a soldier who believes, “Although I am handicapped, I am a soldier, and for me, my nation is first.”
A Soldier’s Story Etched in Courage
As he shared his Kargil experience, Major DP Singh spoke of the chilling quiet before tragedy struck. “We were 80 meters away from the enemy post. A 48-hour lull without a single bullet being fired was slightly unnerving. When nothing happens in a hot conflict zone, you sense something bad is about to happen.”
His words transported the audience to the battlefield, where the killing radius of a bomb is eight meters, but he was just a meter and a half away when it landed. With a wry smile, he added, “Today I can joke that the bomb had my name written on it, but it still couldn't kill me. ‘Jaako raakhe saiyan, mar sake na koye’ (If one is protected by the Almighty, no one can destroy him).”
He remembered lying on the battlefield, carried to safety by his mates who risked their lives to save him. “I owe a debt I can never repay to those countless people who worked tirelessly to save my life. I never felt I was dying. The moment one gives up, one is dead. Then even the doctors can’t save you.”
When doctors told him his leg had developed gangrene, he could have surrendered to despair. But he chose otherwise. “I saw it as a challenge. I said to myself, ‘Let me see how people without one leg live.’” His faith in life remained unshaken. “The blood running in my veins belongs to citizens of our country. I don’t know how many people donated blood, but I never thought I would die.”
Hindustani Blood Running in My Veins
Major DP Singh expressed deep gratitude to Dr Colonel Rajendar Singh, the doctor who saved his life. “It took me 19 years to find him. I met him, hugged him, thanked him, and I will forever be grateful to him and all those uncountable Indians who donated their blood for me.”
With humility, he added, “I always say it’s not the blood of my family running in my veins, nor is it the blood of any Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or Christian, but it’s the blood of my Indians. It’s Hindustani blood running inside me.”
“If There’s One Thing You Should Give Up, It’s the Habit of Giving Up”
Addressing the gathering, Major DP Singh said, “You can see my broken leg, but there is not a single part of my body that is not broken. Despite everything, I am standing in front of you today because of the Hindustani blood running inside me.” Bomb fragments remain embedded in his body, gifts from across the border, as he put it, and later he discovered he was also battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
He recalled a verse from the Bhagavad Gita that became his guiding light: “‘Slain, thou shalt win heaven; victorious, thou shalt enjoy the earth.’” It reflects the spirit of the Indian Army, he said, which lets its actions speak. Summarising his belief, he added, “We can start from ourselves. First, change yourself, accept your reality. Once you accept it, you will progress. Although I am handicapped, I am a soldier, and for me, my nation is first. All these records I have achieved so far are the result of this belief.”
A Call to Raise Voices for India’s Forgotten Heroes
Major DP Singh made a heartfelt appeal to the people, urging them to raise their voices for soldiers who face injustice. “Every academy has cadets who face major injuries during training and are declared unfit for the Indian Army due to disability. They are asked to join third-grade jobs through disability reservations.
The kid who came to join the Indian Army, who might have become Chief of the Army, now has to spend the rest of his life on a wheelchair. There are 400 such cadets today, and despite years of discussions at senior levels and even donating my KBC winnings, there has been no change.”
His voice held the pain of mothers and widows who struggle for their rightful pensions because they do not have the bodies of their sons to show. “It’s time for us to raise our voices for them,” he said.
A Soldier’s Poem to End a Soldier’s Tale
As he concluded, Major DP Singh recited a poem by one of his soldiers that resonated deeply with everyone present:
“Sainik kehta hai, ‘Main Sainik hoon, desh prem hi seekhaya hai sena ne, mujhe umeed aur bharose se hat paana nahi aata, desh seva hi mera karm hai, dharm hai, mujhe Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isai ban paana nahi aata. Main khush hoon apne jungle ki ekaaki mein, mujhe shehron ke beech mein bach paana nahi aata, main jaanta hoon dushmano ko khatam karna…’”
(“A soldier says, ‘I am a soldier, the army has taught me patriotism, I cannot step away from hope and faith, serving the nation is my duty, my religion, I do not know how to become a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or Christian. I am happy in the solitude of my jungle; I do not know how to survive amidst cities. I know how to finish the enemies…’”)
At the Nationalist Collective Conclave by Republic, Major DP Singh’s words weren’t just a speech; they were a mirror reflecting the courage, resilience, and quiet patriotism that lives within every Indian who chooses to rise, no matter how hard life knocks them down. His journey reminds us that true strength is not in never falling, but in refusing to stay down. If there is one thing we should ever give up, it is the habit of giving up.
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