This Day In History- September 9

Syed Abid Ali

Syed Abid Ali

1941 – Former India Test cricketer Syed Abid Ali was born. An all-rounder, Ali bowled at medium pace and batted lower down the order. At a time when he was doing average with both the bat and ball he was chosen to tour Australia and New Zealand with the Indian squad. However he performed well on his debut against Australia scoring 33 runs in both innings and claimed 6 wickets for 55 runs.
He also scored half centuries in both innings of  the final test of their tour against the Aussies. He was impressive in West Indies too when India won their first test series overseas under Ajit Wadekar. He represented India in 1975 Prudential Cricket World Cup in England.

1960 – Eminent Urdu poet and Ghazal writer Jigar Moradabadi passed away. He is one of the most admired poets of the 20th century.

Jigar Moradabadi

Jigar Moradabadi

Jigar followed the classical style of Ghazal writing. He penned some very popular songs for films and also mentored Majrooh Sultanpuri, another prominent lyricist who followed in his footsteps.
The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language which is sponsored by the Government of India encourages research on Jigar Moradabadi and his poetry. In 1958, he was awarded the ‘Sahitya Akademi Award’ for his anthology ‘Atish-i-Gul’.

1974 – Kargil War Hero Captain Vikram Batra PVC was born. He is known for display of unmatched bravery and valour. Captain Batra was commissioned in the Army as a Lieutenant of the Jammu and Kashmir (JAK) Rifles.

Captain Vikram Batra

During the Kargil War Captain Batra and his Delta Company were assigned with the task of recapturing Point 5140. On 20 June 1999, Captain Batra and his men decided to ascend the cliff from its rear so as to surprise the enemy. Thus Captain Batra with five of his men climbed to the top in the face of rattling enemy machine gun. After reaching the top, the Captain and his men hurled two grenades the machine gun post. He killed three soldiers of the enemy in hand to hand combat. The Success of 5140 triggered a wave of successes in the form of Point 5100, Point 4700, Junction Peak and Three Pimples. Together with Captain Anuj Nayyar, Captain Batra and his Company recaptured Point 4750 and Point 4875. Unfortunately on 7th July 1999, Captain Vikram Batra embraced martyrdom while trying to rescue Lt.Naveen during an enemy counterattack. He was honoured with the Param Veer Chakra posthumously.

Here’s a video clip in which Capt.Batra reconstructs his conquest of Point 5140 :

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *