A motorcycle rider shows his skills during the centenary celebrations at Chandi Mandir on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pradeep TewariCorps of Signals: Martial arts, skydiving mark centenary celebrations
Tribune News Service, Chandigarh, April 11, 2010
As part of the ongoing celebrations to mark 100 years of the Corps of Signals, a thrilling display by skydivers, martial arts experts and motorcycle riders was organised at Chandi Mandir near here today.
The show was kicked off by kalariyapattu, an ancient martial art. The eight-member team led by Hav KP Dhanesh performed with daggers, swords and sticks. This was followed by a display of taekwondo skills by a team led by Hav Arup Shaikhiya.
Next to come in was the silent drill team, the first of its kind in the Army. Based on the silent drill teams in the US military, the team executed synchronised and coordinated moves with weapons but without any word of command or accompanying music.
Commanded by Sub AC Gogoi, the 20-member team gave its first performance at Delhi in February this year.
Paratroopers from the Army’s skydiving team stole the show. Six of them led by Lt Col Satyendra Verma jumped from two Chetak helicopters hovering at an altitude of 10,000 feet and touched down with a precision at the designated landing point after opening their parachutes at 3,000 feet.
Dare devils of the Corps motorcycle rider display team put up a scintillating performance with their high-speed precision maneuovers and formations. Led by Capt Rahul Saini, their display included a group as well as individual stunts like jumping through a ring of fire and smashing through glass barriers.
The Corps regimental pipes and drums band was also in attendance. A large number of serving as well as retired military personnel and their families attended the event.
A series of events, including public displays and technical seminars, have been planned throughout the year at various locations across the country to mark the Signals’ centenary. The Corps was raised on February 15, 1911, with the formation of 31st and 32nd Divisional Signals Companies at Fatehgarh. Also known as information warriors of the Army, the Corps of Signals is responsible for secure and reliable communication at the tactical and strategic level.
Corps of Signals: Martial arts, skydiving mark centenary celebrations
Indian Express Report
Acrobats on speeding motorcycles to sky jumps from 10,000 feet above the ground, martial art presentations to a one-of-a-kind silent drill, it wasn’t for no reason that Chandimandir’s enormous Raina stadium was bursting at its seams this Sunday afternoon. The display by various Corps of Signals teams was organised as part of the ongoing centenary celebrations of the Corps being held across the country.
The first signal units, 31st and 32nd Divisional Signal Companies, were raised on February 15, 1911 at Fatehgarh and this year the Corps of Signals has entered 100 years of its journey, achieving significant milestones in fields of strategic, tactical and operational communications. Putting forth an enthralling display of daredevilry and team spirit were various groups comprising both officers and men.
The special showcase kicked off with presentations on martial arts such as Kalariyapattu, where an eight-member team performed battle acts using daggers, swords, spears and flexible swords. That was followed by a Taekwondo display that saw the Signals team break burning tiles and the like.
What truly got the massive crowd applauding, However, was the sky diving event. A team of six sky divers, led by Lt Col Satyendra Verma, jumped from a height of 10,000 ft from two hovering Chetak helicopters. Keeping pace with the high-adrenaline action was a 30-minute show by the motorcycle riders, more popularly known as the dare devils.
The team consists of volunteer Dispatch Riders (DR) and on Sunday afternoon, the 31-member team showcased acrobats as well as tricks and stunts all astride their thundering motorcycles. Captain Rahul Saini led the dare devils as they displayed high levels of precision and timing during the course of the event. Another highlight of the well-attended show was the silent drill. Formed in the Corps of Signals, the team is first of its kind in the Indian Army. The main attraction was that it was performed with perfect coordination and synchronisation, but without any word of command.
Given the boisterous nature of the Army drills, where commands by the leader can be heard from far away, the silent drill took most by surprise. The event was attended Lt Gen S R Ghosh, AVSM, SM, GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt Gen MS Bhuttar, VSM, Chief of Staff, Western Command, Maj Gen TK Das, VSM as well as senior serving and retired officers with their families.
Corps of Signals celebrate centenary anniversary at Chandimandir
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