Haripal Kaushik | |
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| Birth name | Haripal Kaushik |
| Nickname | Crisis Man |
| Born | (1934-02-02)2 February 1934 Jalandhar, British India |
| Died | 25 January 2018(2018-01-25) (aged 83) Jalandhar, India |
| Allegiance |  India |
| Branch |  Indian Army |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | Sikh Regiment |
| Awards |  Vir Chakra |
| Sports career | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Sport | Field hockey |
| Position | Inside-Right |
Medal record | |
Haripal Kaushik,VrC (2 February 1934 – 25 January 2018) was an Indianfield hockey player, military officer and television commentator.[1][2]
He won gold medals in the1956 Summer Olympics and the1964 Summer Olympics. He was vice captain of the team that won the gold medal in the 1966Asian Games, and was later a field hockey administrator and television commentator.[3] He received theArjuna Award for excellence in athletic competition in 1998.[4]
Commissioned into theIndian Army in 1959, Kaushik served in the 1st Battalion of theSikh Regiment.
In the early days of the 1962Sino-Indian War, Kaushik was commanding the forward company at theBattle of Bumla along the border between India and China when the ChinesePeople's Liberation Army invaded on 23 October. During heavy combat with much larger enemy forces, he led a successful retreat, saving the unit's heavy machine guns and mortars.[5]
Kaushik was awarded theVir Chakra for "exemplary courage and self-disregard" on the battlefield.[4] He rose to the rank oflieutenant-colonel.[1] He was injured in an ambush attack by a Chinese column in Nyukmadong on 18th November,1962.[6]
Haripal Stadium at the Indian Army'sMechanised Infantry Regimental Centre inAhmednagar is named in his honor.[4]
The citation for theVir Chakra awarded to him reads:
CITATION
(LIEUTENANT HARI PAL KAUSHAK)Lieutenant Hari Pal Kaushak was commanding a Company holding the Tongpengla position in N.E.F.A. At 05.30hrs on 23rd October 1962 the Chinese started attacking with a Regiment on the Bumla axis with the intention of breaking through to Towang. His company's position was first attacked by a Chinese Battalion, but the attack was repulsed, with heavy losses, by his forward platoon. After the fall of the forward platoon, a second Battalion of the enemy attacked on a wide front trying to overrun the Company's position. Lieutenant Kaushak moved from one section position to another under enemy fire encouraging his troops. He was a source of inspiration to his men who continued to fight with great determination under his leadership. Eventually when under heavy enemy pressure he was ordered to withdraw. he handled the withdrawal skilfully and managed to clear, in the face of enemy fire, all his personnel and weapons including heavy mortars and medium machine guns.[7]
He was married to Prem Bala Kaushik, who died before him in 1983. They had one daughter, Veronica. Kaushik took early retirement from his military service and worked for a sugar mill inPhagwara as a general manager. He also createdGoal Getter which was his own brand of hockey sticks.[8] He died at his home in theJalandharcantonment, after suffering from dementia for several years.[1] A book titledCamouflage: Forgotten Stories from Battlefields written by Probal DasGupta was released in November 2023 which features a chapter on the life of Kaushik, namelyRise after the Fall of 1962: The Amazing Comeback of Haripal Kaushik.[9]
also was Assistant Captain in 1966 when India won the gold medal at the Asian Games. Nine times Kaushik played for the Service XI team in the All-India hockey tournaments, captaining the team four times. He later became a hockey coach for the Sikh Regiment Centre team. He also served as an administrator in the sport and a commentator on televised hockey games.
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