Uday Singh Taunque

Sergeant Uday Singh Taunque (1982-2003) was the first soldier of Indian descent to die fighting in the Iraq War as part of the U.S. Army. His death in Iraq was widely reported in the Indian and American media.
Sergeant Uday Singh Taunque was born in Jaipur, India on 23 April 1982. He stayed with his parents at various military stations till 1994. Then he moved to his paternal grand parents home in Chandigarh. There he enrolled in St Stephen's School. In 1995, Uday's parents and sister also moved to Chandigarh. Uday, on leaving school in Chandigarh in June 2000, left for the U.S. with his father and sister and decided to join the U.S. Army. Uday enlisted in the army on 28 August 2000 and on termination of initial training at Fort Knox was assigned to Charlie Company 1st Battalion, 34 Armor Regiment, based at Fort Riley, Kansas, U.S. Uday's unit was deployed to Iraq in September 2003. On, 1 December 2003, Uday was in the lead Humvee of his platoon as a gunner while out on reconnaissance in Habbaniyah, when the platoon came under fire. Uday was the first to return fire, and kept the insurgents pinned down until reinforcements arrived. However, in the continuing fire fight he was hit with a gunshot to his head and subsequently died whilst being transported to the hospital. The mission led to the capture of a number of terrorists and large cache of weapons.

Uday was awarded with the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his bravery and ultimate sacrifice.

Uday's ashes are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington (near Washington D.C.) Section 60 Gravesite No 8122. Also, a memorial for perpetuating his memory is established and will be completed shortly at his home in Chandigarh (1550, Sec 18-D).

Illinois General Assembly also paid homage to Sergeant Uday's bravery and martyrdom by passing a Senate Resolution.It is also noteworthy that Sergeant Uday came from a distinguished military family and his grandfather , Wing Commander Kartar Singh Taunque, was the first ever personnel of Indian Airforce, then Royal Indian Airforce, to win a gallantry award for Operations in Waziristan during World War II.

Kartar Singh Taunque

Wing Commander Kartar Singh Taunque, then Hawai Sepoy 1st Class, became the first ever personnel of Indian Airforce (then Royal Indian Airforce) to win a gallantry award. He won this award for a successful bombing raid during "Operations in Waziristan 1937-38". He was mentioned in despatches. Flt.Lt. Peter Haynes and Hawai Sepoy 1st Class Kartar Singh Taunque (later Wing Commander), as the air gunner / bombardier, conducted a daring bombing raid in Waziristan during the World War II operations.

Peter Haynes and Kartar Singh Taunque were flying Wapiti II Army Co-operation biplane during this sortie. Peter Haynes flew steady at a constant altitude as Taunque conducted precesion bombing using 112-lb RL bombs and Mk.IX bomb sight. This daring bombing sortie required tremedous courage and presence of mind on the part of Taunque for calculating terminal velocity, feeding speed and heading on the compass on-the-fly, and releasing 112-1b RL bombs at the enemy targets over the Pir of Ipi's fortress with pin-point accuracy and devastating impact. Later Kartar Singh also served in Mesopotamia.

Wing Commander Kartar Singh Taunque was the grandfather of Sergeant Uday Singh Taunque who won the Purple Heart and Bronze Star posthumously for showing gallantry in Iraq in 2003 as part of the US army.

Gurmukh Singh Saini

Gurmukh Singh Saini (IOM, Cr St Geo) , a Sikh soldier from the village Gadram Badi of Ropar in district Ambala of the province of Punjab in British India, won the Indian Order of Merit 1st Class in World War I for splendid courage on the battlefield on the night of March 1, 1916. He was also awarded the Cross of St. George, being Imperial Russia's highest exclusively military award for gallantry in the face of enemy, it held the same value and honor as the British Victoria Cross, US Medal of Honor, or French Legion of Honor (and would be the equivalent of the Indian Param Vir Chakra). The order was awarded to officers and generals for special gallantry, such as, personally leading his troops in rout of a superior enemy force, or capturing a fortress, etc. The Cross of St. George was an extension of the Order of St. George for non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and like it Cross of St. George was awarded in four classes and only for extreme bravery in face of the enemy.

Award of the Indian Order of Merit: Lieutenant-Governor's Citation

Gurmukh Singh Saini won the 1st Class Indian Order of Merit for his gallantry during World War I. He held the rank of Jemadar. Sir Michael O'Dwyer , Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab in British India, read the following citation in his speech regarding Gurmukh Singh's 'splendid courage' and 'heroism' which won him the highest military honor for gallantry in the battlefield :

"...the Sikhs have so far won all the 18 military honours awarded to men of the Ambala District during this war. I will give you here the names of three of those men who have earned fame by their heroism. Jemadar Gurmukh Singh, a Saini Sikh of Gadram Badi in Rupar, won the 1st Class Order of Merit and the 2nd Class Cross of the Russian Order of St. George for his splendid courage on the night of the 1st March 1916 when he advanced under the greatest difficulties, continually crawling forward and digging himself in..."

"Wahe Guruji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guruji ki Fateh."

Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan (26 September 1921 - 23 October 1962), a Saini Sikh , born in Faridkot, Punjab was a Subedar in the Indian Army who distinguished himself by wining Param Vir Chakra, the highest war time gallantry award of Indian Army that any soldier can aspire for. On 28 September 1936, he was enrolled in the 1 Sikh Regiment. His father's name was Sher Singh Sahnan who belonged to an agricultural Saini Sikh family which had relocated to village Mahla Kalan near Moga from village Munaka of district Hoshiarpur. His mother's name was Bibi Krishan Kaur Bhela. He married Bibi Gurdyal Kaur Banga, who was from a Saini family of village Kothay Rara Singh near Kot Kapura. He went to primary school in village Nathu Ala and to village Daroli for his middle school.

Military Action

During the 1962 Indo-China War, Subedar Joginder Singh commanded a platoon in the Tawang sector of NEFA (North East Frontier Agency). While holding a defensive position on a ridge in Tongpeng La area on Bum La axis, the platoon noticed heavy Chinese concentration opposite Bum La across the McMohan Line on October 20. This was indeed a preparatory to the Chinese advance on Bum La axis on October 23.

At 0530 hours on October 23, the Chinese launched a heavy attack on the Bum La axis. The intention was to achieve a breakthrough to Tawang. The Chinese attacked the Ridge in three waves, each about 200 strong. The attack was supported by artillery and mortar fire, besides other weapons. The fierce resistance of the Sikh platoon, however, compelled the Chinese to fall back with heavy losses. But they regrouped quickly and launched a fresh attack under the cover of an artillery barrage.

However, Subedar Joginder Singh and his platoon stood firm like a rock before the advancing enemy. In this fierce action, the platoon lost half of its men but not the will to fight. Subedar Joginder Singh, despite a wound in the thigh, refused evacuation. His platoon also refused to yield any ground to the Chinese. The last wave of the Chinese attack, which was more determined and more forceful followed next. Now the platoon had very few men left to fight. Subedar Joginder Singh, therefore, manned a light machine gun and killed a large number of enemies.

But he could not stem the tide of the Chinese advance single-handedly. The Chinese Army continued advancing with little concern for the casualties. By now all ammunition with the platoon had been exhausted. When the situation became desperate, Subedar Joginder Singh and his men emerged from their position with fixed bayonets, shouting the Sikh battle cry, "Wahe Guruji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guruji ki Fateh." They fell upon the advancing Chinese and bayoneted many to death.

Finally better weapons and numerical superiority of the Chinese prevailed and Subedar Singh was captured after this epic battle. He died from his wounds and frostbite as a PoW in Chinese custody. One of his fellow soldiers later recalled that when his Chinese captors wanted to amputate his frostbitten foot, he told them that it would affect his chances of promotion after release and refused to undergo the operation. For his inspiring leadership, steadfast courage and devotion to duty beyond all odds, Subedar Joginder Singh was awarded the highest wartime gallantry medal, the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously.

Memorial in Moga, Punjab

Subedar Joginder Singh Sahnan (PVC) received highest civilian commemoration in his native town of Moga in 2006 when his statue adorned in battle fatigue was inaugurated near district DC office

Other honours

The shipping corporation of India has honoured this great man by naming one of the vessels by the name Subedar Joginder Singh PVC.

"Wahe Guruji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guruji ki Fateh."

Raja Porus as an ancient Saini warrior

Colonel James Tod had concluded that Porus was a Yadava or Yaduvanshi king and he further added that this conclusion was not based on any superficial similarity of names but based on a host of other available facts.

His view is worth a mention in this regard:

"To convince the reader I do not build upon nominal resemblance , when localities do not bear me out, he is requested to call to mind,that we have elsewhere assigned to Yadus of the Punjab the honour of furnishing the well known king named Porus; although the Puar, the usual pronunciation of Pramar, would afford a more ready solution."

-Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, pp 283, By James Tod, Edition: 2, Published by Asian Educational Services, 2001

Tod went on further to specifically point out Shoorsainis as the Puru tribe whose king was called Porus, the legendary Indian adversary of Alexander the Great:

“ Puru became the patronymic of this branch of the Lunar race. Of this Alexander's historians made Porus. The Suraseni of Methoras (descendants of the Soor Sen of Mathura) were all Purus, the Prasioi of Megasthenes... ”

- Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han, James Tod, pp 36, Published by Higginbotham and co., 1873

This theory of Tod enjoys a general consensus in academc community. Dr. Ishwari Prasad, Dr. Pritam Saini et al and a number of other history scholars from Indian History Congress either have backed this theory in entirety or strongly indicated a link of his army with the Shoorsainis of Mathura.

The Sourasenoi of Megesthenes

Ancient Greek traveller and ambassdor to India, Megasthenes, came across Saini clan in its glory days as the ruling tribe with its capital in Mathura.

Megasthenes described this tribe as Sourasenoi and their patron deity and ancestor as Herakles:

"..This Herakles is held in special honour by the Sourasenoi, an Indian tribe, who possess two large cities, Methora and Cleisobora" Arrian, Indika, viii, Methora is Mathura ; Growse (Mathura, 3rd ed. 279) suggests Cleisbora is Krisnhapura , ' city of Krishna'..."

-ANNALS AND ANTIQUITIES OF RAJASTHAN, James Tod, Vol. 1, pp 36, Oxford University Press, 1920

In this article we make a bold claim that Raja Porus was a Saini. We back up this claim with a solid textual theory developed by Colonel James Tod and accepted well in the academy. Dr. Pritam Saini, an eminent historian and literary critic of Punjab, a research fellow at Punjabi university , Patiala , a notable journalist and a life long member of prestigious academic bodies like Punjab History Conference and Indian History Congress, had concluded that Raja Porus was was a Saini and was in the line of Maharaja Shoor Sen and Krishna-Balram Yadava warrior duo.

Meaning of Porus as King of Easterners, or Prachayas, the migrants from East to Punjab and Afghanistan

The interpretation of 'Prasioi' as 'Prachaya' , which is an interpretation no historian of repute is able to disregard, also perfectly jives with the narratives of descendants of Shoorsen having migrated westward to Punjab and Afghanistan after Mahabharata war and the fact that Porus' army carried an effigy of Balarama or Krishna, the traditional deities of Shoorsainis who originated from Mathura. A migrant form eastern states is called "Poorvi" even to this date in Punjab.

To recapitulate all the points discussed so far, it did not surprise Col. Tod and other historians of repute who adopted his analysis to observe that:

1) Some of the descendants of Shoorsen , i.e. Shoorsainis had moved to Punjab after Mahabharata war;

2) The Shoorsainis were called 'Prasioi' or 'Prachaya', or 'Easterners' because they had migrated to Punjab from Mathura which is in the east of Punjab;

3) The etymology of 'Porus' is derived from 'Prasioi' or 'Pracahaya', or 'Easterner', not from 'Paurava', or the descendant of Puru.

4) The frontline soldiers of Porus carried an effigy of either Balarama or Krishna, i.e Indian Herakles, who were both ancestors and patron deities of Shoorsainis;

5) Megesthenes had clearly noted that Herakles was held in special regard by 'Sourasenoi' or Shoorsainis of Mathura when he had visited the place after in around 300 BC as the ambassdor of Seleukos Nikator.

All of the above facts lined up perfectly to support the conclusion that Porus was a Yadava, or Shoorsaini, the descendant of Maharaja Shoorsen of Mathura. When Col Tod makes the observation that Porus was a Shoorsaini , he has been through an arduous process of synthesizing epical references , local etymologies , traditional legends and situational issues with the accounts left by the Greek observers.

Relative strength of Saini claim on Shoorsaini (Surasena) Yadava descent

Apart from Bhati , Bhatias and Saini clans in Punjab there is no other community which claims to be of Yadava origin. It can be ruled out that the above reference from Visnu Purana could easily apply to Bhatis as they appear on the historical scene much later as a distinct version of Yaduvanshis. Visnu Purana or any other epical source contains no reference whatsoever to the existence of a Bhati clan among Yaduvanshis. So Bhatis, if their claim of being Yaduvanshi is historically accurate, were probably a much later offshoot from some textually unaccounted for Yadava tribe, which may or may not have included Shoorsaini tribe of Yadavas. The mercantile community of Bhatias further claim their origin from Bhati Rajputs who took to commerce. So it can be ruled out that their existence could be older than Bhati Rajputs who do not appear on historical scene until 4th or 5th century CE.

It is not difficult to conclude that based on textual evidence that the Saini tribe of Punjab best fits the description of the Puranic Shoorsaini Yadavas who, according to section 5 of Visnu Purana, migrated to Punjab from Dwarka. This is because Visnu Purana and Mahabharta distinctly acknowledge the existence of Shoorsaini or Shoorseni Yadavas as Krisna's kinsmen, as opposed to anything remotely familiar with the term 'Bhati. It is the movement of Krishna's immediate kinsmen, Shoorsainis, to Punjab that is referred in the section 5 of Visnu Purana. It appears implausible that Shoorsaini tribe of Yadavas vanished for at least couple of thousand years and later reappeared suddenly on the scene as Bhatis around 9th or 5th century CE . On the other hand the relation of Saini tribe with the Puranic Shoorsaini Yadavas, based on both phonetics, geography and textual evidence, appears to be much more organic and historically plausible. Bhatis, based on all the extant textual evidence, would appear to be much later offshoot of Yaduvanshis to claim any direct continuity from Shoorsaini Yadavas whose migration to Punjab is recorded in Visnu Purana.

It is would appear from the way the Sainis are populated and distributed in Punjab, they probably settled down there as part of mass migration that are entirely populated with Sainis, with a Saini Chaudhary or a lambardar. Living in largely self-governing villages , they do not seem to have been subordinate to any other caste in their villages, including any other tribes claiming Rajput origin

Yaduvanshi or Yadava origin from Mathura

" Before the formation of Bharatpur state the capital of Sinsinwars was at Sinsini. Sinsini earlier was known as 'Shoor saini' and its inhabitants were known as 'Saur Sen'. The influence of Saur Sen people can be judged from the fact that the dialect of the entire north India at one time was known as 'Saursaini'. Shoor Sain people were Chandra Vanshi kshatriyas. Lord Krishna was also born in vrishni branch of Chandravansh. A group of Yadavas was follower of Shiv and Vedic God in Sindh. Some inscriptions and coins of these people have been found in 'Mohenjo Daro .... The above group of Yadavas came back from Sindh to Brij area and occupied Bayana in Bharatpur district. After some struggle the 'Balai' inhabitants were forced by Shodeo and Saini rulers to move out of Brij land and thus they occupied large areas."

-Imperial Gazeteer of India, Volume 8, pp 73, Bharatpur State

(Excerpted with thanks from City History, bharatpuronline.com, version as of November 2009)

Sainis of Punjab and contiguous region trace their origin to the famous Surasena lineage of the Yaduvanshi [4] [5] Rajputs of Mathura . This tribe was further a sub division Chandravanshi or Lunar Dynasty kshatriyas. In this sense they also share their with origin with Bhati Rajputs of Rajputana, Jadeja Rajputs of Gujrat and Seuna Yadavas of Devgiri in South India, all of whom claim Yadava origin from Mathura. Though it may appear strange how such culturally and geographically diverse groups could possibly have common origin, one has to keep in mind that the descendants of Yadu were a huge warrior clan distributed and diversified in many tribes and sub tribes. After a common origin in Mathura, each Yadava tribe set on their own journey meeting varied fortunes as they chalked their unique destinies along a path of history that is at least three thousand years old.

What cast is Saini if its not Jatt?

Saini is a warrior caste, Jatt is not a caste its a farming or
agricultural community. In punjab both Saini and Jatt are land owner
farmers. during present days both Saini and Jatt both come under general
category and do not use any reservation for the progress of there
community coz these people are self built and very hard working by the
bliss of god. In the ancient times Saini used to have higher status then
jatt as according to the vedic caste system Saini fall under Kshatriya
(Kings and Warriors) .

Porus was most strongest and brave king at his times compared
with alexander the great. beside Sainiz also have made great leaps in
science & technology, business, sports, army,police..etc..one of the
earliest jathedar to sri akal takhat (highest sikh authority) belongs
to SAINI caste. America's richest sikh belongs to... SAINI caste. CEO of
Mastercard, world's 2nd largest used credit card, belongs to SAINI caste.
Late S. Ajit Singh owner of Ajit newspaper belongs to SAINI caste. Ajit
newspaper is the #1 punjabi newspaper all across punjab, canada, U.S
etc..