Wednesday, September 29, 2010

[ZESTCaste] Mahar regiment owes museum to Khambe's 15-yr effort

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Mahar-regiment-owes-museum-to-Khambes-15-yr-effort/articleshow/6646670.cms

Mahar regiment owes museum to Khambe's 15-yr effort
Prasad Kulkarni, TNN, Sep 29, 2010, 12.37am IST

PUNE: The Indian army's Mahar regiment has been shouldering enormous
responsibilities. From exemplary service in World War I, supreme
sacrifices in the Afghan war of 1919 to standing guard near the
Mahatma's body in those tumultuous days after the assassination in
1948 are now milestones in the history of the regiment.

Instead of letting such moments fill up the pages of history or their
accounts pass by word of mouth, one man has decided to preserve them
for posterity.

Government employee Sudhakar Khambe's 15-year efforts have been housed
in a museum dedicated to the Mahar regiment which observes its raising
day on October 1.

The 2,000 sq ft museum that opened in 2000 has been named after his
father and is called Subedar Dharmaji Khambe memorial museum at Dr
Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhavan, Mangalwar Peth.

Khambe's father and grandfather served the regiment. However, his
ambitions to serve the nation in the same regiment were dashed by
injury. But he kept the connection ticking. He began adding to the
collection of material related to the regiment that his father began.

It has items significant in the regiment's history. On display are
rare photos of the many battles the regiment fought, gallantry awards
and medals given to its soldiers and officers for their valour in the
wars.

A photocopy of a letter hand-written by Jawaharlal Nehru to a solider
of the regiment and Khambe's grandfather's service book given in 1890
by the British are important possessions.

"I wanted to keep the connection with the regiment alive, so I began
collecting various items, went to various places and met people
associated with the regiment. Each association enriched me and brought
out the regiment's unique achievements. The museum could come up only
because people helped," Khambe said.

Veterans take pride in the museum. "Youngsters need inspiration to
join the armed forces. One way is to tell them about the glorious
history of regiments," said Brigadier Diwakar Paranjape (retd), who
was with the Mahar regiment for more than 35 years and fought the 1965
Indo-Pak war.

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