Jodhpur/Dehradun: Centenarian Chandiprasad Joshi, a veteran ex-serviceman, who witnessed a World War in undivided India and the 1965 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan after independence, celebrated his 104th birthday on Saturday. On the occasion, he recalled his grit and fortitude during his eventful tenure in the Indian army.
“I went to Burma to fight in World War II and stayed in Burma for seven years, but due to the blessings of God, I returned unscathed,” Joshi recalled. He said the Garhwal Regiment, which he was part of as a Lance Naik, fought with the armies of Germany, Japan and Italy in Burma. At that time he was Lance Naik.
As the German army surrounded his entire battalion, the commanding officer of the British army asked everyone should surrender. But Joshi replied that they had come to fight, not to surrender, he vividly remembers. Joshi said that in the last phase of the war, the soldiers left Rangoon on foot to Imphal. After his retirement in 1969, Joshi, originally from Uttarakhand, settled in Rajasthan's Jodhpur where he is working in Army Education Corps (AEC). Joshi is also a member of the Uttarakhand Samaj, an organisation working for the welfare of Uttarakhand residents in Rajasthan. But being in Rajasthan has not made Joshi forget his roots as he takes pride in being a Pahari.
Joshi said he has been to Uttarakhand and travelled across the state on foot. The veteran soldier celebrated his 103rd birthday in Jodhpur with family and army soldiers, who came to wish him. Chairman Uttarakhand Samaj Jodhpur Sandeep Sangrawat, who had come to wish Joshi on his birthday, hailed the ex-soldier's enthusiasm on and off the battlefield.
He said it was a proud moment for the people of Uttarakhand to have a soldier like Joshi. “We have been working in society for the last 16 years and uncle Joshi has been an inspiration. He brings dedication as a soldier towards the country to his social life. His unwavering passion and dedication towards the country are exemplary,” he said. Joshi's five daughters had also come to wish him on his birthday.
