Bhopal: Army concluded its 500 kilometres Chindits Trail Expedition on Friday in Narsinghpur district of the state. The expedition traversed nearly 500 kilometres across the Vindhya Ranges between Betwa and Ken Rivers and culminated on the banks of river Narmada.
The Southern Command Sudarshan Chakra Corps (Bhopal) had organised the 21 days expedition to commemorate 75 years of training carried out by the Chindits in Central India in preparation for their operations in Burma during Second World War.
The expedition was flagged off by Lieutenant General DR Soni, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Indian Army’s Southern Command in the presence of Lieutenant General IS Ghuman, General Officer Commanding Sudarshan Chakra Corps on February 16 in Babina.
The expedition which started from Deogarh, close to the historic Chanderi Fort, moved through the dense jungle of Malthone and crossed the Dhasan River, a tributary of river Betwa.
Moving along Southern fringes of Vindhyas towards Narmada River, the team reached the famous Singorgarh Fort, near Singrampur, where Rani Durgawati had waged an epic battle with the Mughal forces in 1564.
During the course of 21 days, the expedition went across the Lalitpur District of Uttar Pradesh and Tikamgarh, Chattarpur, Panna, Damoh and Jabalpur districts of Madhya Pradesh.
The Expedition was conducted to relive the experience of the Chindits during their training in these parts and imbibe their indomitable spirit, which remains equally relevant today.
The troops drawn in from different battalions and from different parts of the country, developed strong camaraderie and spirit of adventure through the innovative training, best summed up by the Chindits motto, “The boldest measures are the safest”.
The Chindits Force was raised in 1942 by the legendary General Charles Orde Wingate. Four of the present day Indian Army Gurkha battalions form part of the Chindits Force and they still adorn their uniforms with ‘Chinthe’ insignia, the dragon with a lion’s head, the protector of pagodas in Burmese mythology. Wingate pronounced ‘Chinthe’ as ‘Chindits’ and ever since they were known as the Chindits.
