Major D.P. Singh is a retired officer of the Indian Army. He is a Kargil War veteran and is known as India’s first blade runner. After his amputation, he gradually started running using a prosthetic limb and has run in 26 half-marathons in his running career.
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Devender Pal Singh [1] |
| Profession(s) | Former Indian Army officer, Social Activist, and Athlete |
| Famous for | • Becoming India’s first blade runner • Becoming Asia’s first paraplegic solo skydiver |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 175 cm in meters– 1.75 m in feet & inches– 5’ 9” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms– 65 kg in pounds– 143 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Salt and Pepper |
| Military Service | |
| Service/Branch | Indian Army |
| Rank | Major |
| Service Years | 6 December 1997 – 2007 |
| Unit(s) | • 7th Battalion of the Dogra Regiment • Army Ordinance Corps |
| Commission type | Permanent |
| Commands | • Platoon Commander (as a captain) • Company Commander (as a major) |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | • Mention-in-dispatches by the Indian Army for his role in Operation Vijay (2000) • Limca Book of Records after becoming India’s first amputee to run a 21-kilometer marathon (2009) • DNA Exemplar Award by ICICI bank (2010) • Service Exemplary Award by ICICI bank (2011) • Limca Book of Records as India’s first blade runner (2013) • Limca Book of Records for becoming India’s first blade runner to complete a high-altitude marathon (2015) • Rex Karamveer Global Fellowship AFS Intercultural Programs India (2015) • People of The Year Award by Limca Book of Records (2016) • Asia’s first disabled solo para driver certificate by Indian Book of Records (2018) • Asia’s first disabled solo para diver certificate by Asia Book of Records (2018) • National Award for The Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities by the Government of India (2018) |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | • Source 1: 13 January 1974 (Sunday) • Source 2: 13 September 1973 (Thursday) |
| Age (as of 2022) | • Source 1: 48 Years • Source 2: 49 Years |
| Birthplace | Jagadhari, Yamunanagar district, Haryana |
| Zodiac sign | • Source 1: Capricorn • Source 2: Virgo |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Jagadhari, Yamunanagar district, Haryana |
| School | Kendriya Vidyalaya, Roorkee |
| College/University | • Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut • Management Development Institute, Gurgaon |
| Educational Qualification | • Bachelor of Arts from distance learning [2] • PGDM [3] |
| Religion | Sikhism [4] |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Not known |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Not known |
| Children | Son– Tegsimar Singh (NCC cadet) |
| Parents | Father– Name not known (former GREF employee) Mother– Gurdeep Kaur |
| Siblings | Sister– Simmi Gill Virk |
| Style Quotient | |
| Bike Collection | He owns a Royal Enfield |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Major DP Singh
- Major DP Singh is a retired officer of the Indian Army, social activist, and para-athlete. He is best known for holding a record as India’s first blade runner and Asia’s first disabled solo para diver.
- During his schooling, Major DP Singh not only failed to pass the 11th standard on the first attempt but also failed twice to clear the all-India National Defence Academy’s entrance exam.
- While pursuing his graduation, Major DP Singh appeared for the military entrance exam, Combined Defence Services Exam (CDSE), conducted by the UPSC. He cleared the exam and the Indian Army’s selection process on his second attempt. [5] In an interview, DP Singh said
- In June 1996, Major DP Singh joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA). On 6 December 1997, he was commissioned in the Indian Army’s 7th Battalion of the Dogra Regiment.
- In I998, a few months after his commissioning, DP Singh, with his unit, was moved to the Akhnoor sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
- In 1999, when the Kargil War broke out between India and Pakistan, Major DP Singh was deployed at the Line of Control (LOC), and in July 1999, DP Singh and his company were ordered to capture a Pakistani bunker which was keeping vigilance on the movement of the Indian Army’s troops and was situated at a very strategically important place.
- In the early hours of 15 July 1999, Major DP Singh led his company to attack the Pakistani post. When he was about to reach the Pakistan Army’s bunker, a mortar shell blasted a few feet away from him; wounding him grievously.
- On 15 July 1999, DP Singh was evacuated by his fellow soldiers and was admitted to a military hospital, where he was declared dead upon arrival. The doctors, somehow, managed to revive him and by the time he was revived, gangrene, a form of infection, had infected his entire right leg due to which the doctors decided to amputate his right leg from the knee. In an interview, then he said,
- Other than amputating his right leg, the doctors also had to take out 73 shrapnels from his body, which were embedded in different body parts. Out of 73 shrapnels, the doctors could only manage to remove a total of forty shrapnels. Due to the trauma of the war, DP Singh was also diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); a form of psychological disorder. While giving an interview, Major DP Singh said,
- Major DP Singh was transferred from the Dogra Regiment; an infantry battalion, to Army Ordinance Corps (AOC); a non-infantry battalion, due to his injuries and disability. After serving for eight more years, Major DP Singh retired from the Indian Army in 2007.
- In 2007, after leaving the army, he joined the ICICI bank as a training manager, where he was tasked to look after the training of the employees as well as with the formulation of policies related to the training of the new bank employees. He worked in the bank till 2015.
- In 2007, ten years after getting injured, DP Singh began practising running with a prosthetic limb. While giving an interview, DP Singh claimed that his injuries had begun to take a toll on his morale as he could not do anything while he was recovering from his injuries. He said,
- When Major DP Singh started practising, he faced a lot of problems. According to him, while running, his amputated stump began to bleed as the blade, due to friction, peeled off the skin around the stump. He said that while running with a blade, he could feel the painful jerk in his head. In an interview, DP Singh told,
- After taking retirement from the Indian Army, DP Singh participated in several marathons across the country. In 2009, he completed his first half-marathon of 21 kilometers in New Delhi.
- To support the amputees and help them overcome their difficulties, Major DP Singh founded a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) named The Challenging Ones (TCO) in 2011. According to DP Singh, the NGO, till July 2022, had more than 1400 amputees as its part. In an interview, he said,
On 27 November 2011, DP Singh took part in the Airtel half-marathon in New Delhi. - DP Singh, on 2 May 2014, took part in his first high-altitude half-marathon in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. He became the first Indian blade runner to complete a high-altitude marathon. The marathon was held at a height of 11,700 feet.
- Red Bull appointed DP Singh as a brand ambassador for its initiative, “Wings For Life World Run” in 2015.
- In 2016, Adidas started an initiative called Odds, which aimed at promoting its products among amputees. The brand selected Major DP Singh as its initiative’s brand ambassador.
- DP Singh also participated in the 2018 Territorial Army and Athletic Federation of India (TAAFI) marathon.
- After the Indian Army declared 2018 as the year of disabled war veterans, Major DP Singh was chosen by the army as its initiative’s brand ambassador. Later in 2018, he was invited to meet the former Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, where he requested the former Army Chief to allow him to train at the Indian Army’s Adventure Wing (IAAW) at Nashik for his upcoming para diving event.
- In 2018, following the approval of this request, he was sent to Nashik, where he trained for three months. After completing his training, DP Singh conducted his first Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) para diving stunt on 28 March 2018, becoming the first Asian disabled veteran to partake in a solo para diving event. [6]
- In the same year, he was invited to give a speech at ACT NOW, an event which was organized by the United Nations (UN).
- In 2018, Radio City Kanpur invited and interviewed Major DP Singh.
- In 2019, to commemorate Kargil Vijay Diwas, DP Singh carried the victory flame from Kargil to Drass to honor the Indian troops who took part in the war.
- In 2020, as a speaker, DP Singh took part in the talk show, Transform and Succeed.
- In 2021, DP Singh was invited as a guest speaker at the international talk show, TEDx.
- In 2021, Major DP Singh was invited by the Indian Navy to participate in the Swarnim Maitri Half Marathon to commemorate the golden jubilee of the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
- In 2021, DP Singh took part in the Super Sikh Marathon in New Delhi.
- In the same year, DP Singh authored a book titled Grit: The Major Story.
- While training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), DP Singh’s friends used to jokingly call him “Drill Purpose;” a term used by the Indian Military for a “dummy” rifle which is used by the trainees for conducting military drills.
- According to Major DP Singh, when he began blade running after sustaining injuries, he looked up to Terry Fox, a Canadian para-athlete, for motivation. While giving an interview, DP Singh claimed
- Major DP Singh celebrates his birthday twice every year. He celebrates his second birthday on 15 July, the date when the doctors managed to revive him after he was declared dead after sustaining life-threatening injuries.
- In July 2022, Sony TV announced that Major DP Singh, along with Colonel Mitali Madhumita, would be taking part in Kaun Banega Crorepati’s (KBC) Independence Day special episode. The episode would be broadcasted on national television on 7 August 2022. [7