Remembering Bidhyadhar Singh K/55

Today is the birth anniversary of Bidhyadhar Singh.

Bidhyadhar Singh , better known as BD Singh or just BD, joined us in NDA in our fourth term. For someone so phenomenally tough, he never threw his weight around or flexed his muscles outside the boxing ring. He fought like lion in the ring but was ever so gentle outside.

He joined the Madras Regiment and am sure he would have felt at home with the thambis and the feelings would have been mutual. I personally did not have the opportunity to meet him during the service .

BD Singh opted for premature retirement in 2001 after 22 years of service.

Post retirement, he had  been the Secretary of the Zila Sainik Board, looking after 5 districts. He also ran a BPCL petrol pump for 2 years and thereafter an Ex Servicemen Security Agency , keeping himself quite busy . Socially as the  Secretary of the Rotary Club Balasore he had  been involved with many Social Welfare schemes under the auspices of Rotary International.

Post retirement, I did speak to him and what I remember of that conversation was his religious mindset and his turning towards spirituality as the main focus of life. He did talk about his children , particularly his son Harsha  and his work on documentary films. There was that understandable pride in his voice of having served his regiment and society well and of having raised his children wonderfully.

Bidhyadhar was short and stocky, one of those few guys who was shorter than me in the academy; yet as a great human being , he walked tall amongst us.

He has passed on too prematurely, succumbing to the pandemic on 18 Sep 2020. A dear gentle soul. May Almighty God Rest his Soul in Eternal Peace.

– Muralidharan K/55