Brig SJ Tiwari opens Lt Col Robert Memorial Badminton Tournament
Source: Chronicle News Service
Senapati:, November 13 2023:
2nd edition of the Lt Col Robert TA Memorial Badminton Tournament was opened by Brig SJ Tiwari, commandant 59 Mountain Brigade, Senapati, as the chief guest of the opening ceremony.
The event was organised by the Red Shield Division, Indian Army and hosted by the Senapati District Badminton Association (SDBA) .
Mention may be made that Lt Col Robert TA of Maram village in Senapati district of Manipur and was born on January 24, 1981 .
Robert, son of Thoiba Angelus and K Karaila, joined the Army in 2004 at the age of 23 years and became the first person from the Maram Naga community to don the Army uniform as an officer through Technical Entry Scheme (TES) and was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers, an important combat support organisation of the Indian Army.
Besides being a committed soldier, the late army officer was a keen sportsman and excelled in various sports.
During his training days, he was called "Ronaldo" by his course-mates.
In 2008, he was awarded the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff Commendation after his squad under his leadership as a captain completed the prestigious Army Adventure Challenger Cup and emerged as the winner.
Robert got promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel (Lt Col) in 2017 and by 2020 had put in around 16 years of service after having worked in various operational areas.
During 2020, his unit was deployed in north Sikkim near the Indo-China border.
The area of responsibility of the unit spanned over remote rugged mountainous terrain with extreme weather conditions specially in the winter season.
The troops were deployed on various forward posts and often undertook patrol to monitor the area in between the manned posts.
Lt Col Robert was leading one such patrol cum snow clearance team comprising three officers and 18 other soldiers on 14 May 2020 .
As the troops were traversing through the planned route, a horrific avalanche struck them.
The magnitude and suddenness of the avalanche did not give any time to the team to take any evasive actions.
As a result, Lt Col Robert and his soldiers got trapped under tons of snow.
A massive rescue operation was launched jointly with the elements of Indian Army, Indian Air Force and ITBR The rescue team eventually managed to extricate a number of soldiers but Lt Col Robert and Sapala Shanmukha Rao lost their lives owing to prolonged exposure to extreme cold conditions.
Lt Col Robert was a committed soldier and a fine officer who laid down his life in the line of duty.
To commemorate the resilience effort and devotion beyond call of duty the loc and the rd constructed by the team was named as Robert Pt and Robert Marg.
The brave heart is survived by his wife Chingpai and two daughters Pungdila Deborah and Hinga.
The Lt Col Robert TA Memorial Badminton Tournament is being organised as an annual event to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of Lt Col Robert TA in the line of duty as part of operation Sadbhavana by the Indian Army.
The inaugural tournament was organised in the Year 2022-23 .
RS Abel, advisor SDBA, in his speech acknowledged the valuable service rendered by the Indian army in memory of the late army officer by organising different sports to encourage and motivate the youth of the district through sports.
Chief guest Brig SJ Tiwari, commandant 59 Mountain Brigade, Senapati, lauded the late army officer describing him a brave soldier, for which different sports were organised in his memory as well as in remembrance of all his efforts which the late soldier had done for the nation.
His commitment, dedication, honesty, bravery remain an inspiration to all, he said, demonstrating a strong interest in sports and the various categories that will be included throughout the competition.
The army commandant also announced the indigenous wrestling competition for junior boys in the near future which will be organised in memory of the late army officer.
With the support from all, the army officer was also hopeful of further progress and major success in a variety of areas in the near future.
The commandant wished good luck to all players.
The tournament was then declared open by the chief guest.
More than 100 participants from different categories are taking part in the tournament that will continue till November 16 .
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