Major D P Singh is a man who is full of life. He wishes to see the good in every situation, and make the most of what he has. His life story is an inspiration to all those who need strength to beat the odds. Here’s this brave man’s story:
Singh was born on 13th September, 1973 in Jagadhari, India. His completed his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Roorkee. D P Singh saw his first failure in Class 11th. He could not clear his exams and had to repeat his class. He had always heard the phrase “Whatever happens, happens for a good purpose”. He wished to see some good come out of this too. One day, he was strolling through the mangrove forest near his school at recess time, when he suddenly encountered a 7-8 year old girl who was crying for help. She was covered by bees all over. He quickly threw his sweater on her, picked her up, and rushed her to school where she received immediate attention. The doctors said this could have been fatal for the girl had Singh not hurried up. This is when it struck him that he was meant to save this girl, and this is why he was in the school for an additional year. He registered a firm belief in the thought that whatever would happen to him, would be for a certain good.
Singh went on to pursue his undergraduate degree from CCU Meerut, and then a diploma course from Rani Jhansi University, Jabalpur. He worked in a bank for a while, a job that he left after some time to pursue a career in the Indian Army. He passed out from IMA on 6th December 1997. He was commissioned into the Dogra Regiment.
Two years later, the Kargil war struck. Singh was deployed at the LOC in Akhnoor sector with a platoon of 28 men under him. The enemy bunkers were just about 80 meters away. On 15th July, 1999, tragedy struck for Singh when a mortar from the enemy’s side fell just 1.5 meters away from his leg. The explosion led to multiple grave injuries on his body, especially his right leg.
When he was brought to the hospital, he was in such a bad condition, that the doctor there declared him dead. Thankfully, another senior doctor there took a look at him and declared that he could be revived. Later, it was concluded that gangrene had spread beyond repair in his right leg and there was no option but to amputate it.
Singh knew this was a situation he had to accept no matter what, and so he did. He showed great willpower at this time which got him through the painful process. He says-
“When I learnt I’d lost my leg, I told myself that this would be yet another challenge in my life.”
Recovery took a long time. He went back to work eventually, but was shifted to the Ordnance Corps because of his injuries. He served the Indian Army for ten more years until he retired as a Major. He went back to the bank he used to work for before joining the Army, and continued work there.
His own journey and struggle he could handle, but he was tired of the sympathetic, pitiful glances that people would give him. He desperately wanted to change that scenario. He decided to do something challenging, and thus took up running.
Singh signed up for his first marathon in 2009, and started training for it as he used a prosthetic leg to help him run. He found that he could hop with his good leg, and then drag the prosthetic. Within a few days, he realized he could push himself to greater heights. He found himself hopping and running like that for almost 4-5 kilometers soon. He managed to run two half- marathons like this. Then, Singh heard about the fiber- blade prosthetic, which was used by the famous South African amputee runner, Oscar Pistorius. It changed his life. Using the blade, he could function much better, even though the pain was no less grueling. His leg would hurt after every exercise, but he kept going; running provided him with a renewed sense of purpose, and higher self- esteem.
Presently, Singh holds a record in the Limca Book of Records for being the first Indian to run a half marathon using a blade as a prosthetic. This is why he is known as India’s Blade Runner. He has run 18 marathons until now. His zest for life is impeccable:
“When I was injured, I received blood from countless people of different castes, creeds and states… With the blood of India running in my veins, I feel like I can do everything. I owe it all to my upbringing as a Sikh and training in the Indian army, which has given me the ability to convert adversity into opportunity. It is very easy to QUIT… majority does so… I, however would like to TRY till last breath, even if I fail. I know it is hard but then I am chosen by God himself for these challenges so why should I bother. Let HIM only worry about result. Jai Hind”
Singh has also started a support group for amputees called “The Challenging Ones”, where he hopes to encourage people like him to look beyond their handicap and make them see life in a new light. Singh hopes to ensure better quality prosthetics for amputees in India, and better insurance cover for the general public in India regarding amputation. As far as his running career goes, he hopes to run a full marathon soon (42 kilometers), and to represent India at Paralympics soon. Good luck to you, Major!
