Badluram ka Badan

Assam Regiment Insignia

Badluram was a rifleman in the 1st Battalion, Assam Regiment of the British Indian Army.[1] In 1944 the 1st Assam Regiment was posted in and around Kohima and were part of the first line of defence between the Fifteenth Army, a formation of the Imperial Japanese Army led by Lt. Gen. Renya Mutaguchi, and the rest of British India. In what would go on to be labelled "Britain's Greatest Battle" by a popular vote conducted by the British National Army Museum,[2][3] the Battle of Kohima and the Battle of Imphal was also called the "British-Indian Thermopylae" by Earl Louis Mountbatten, the Supreme Allied Commander in the theatre,[4] and is also referred to as "Stalingrad of the East".[5][6]

Badluram was killed in the early days of the battle from a gunshot wound. After Badluram's death, the quartermaster did not remove his name from the rations roster and the company continued to draw rations in Badluram's name. (Some say the Quartermaster purposely did not report Badluram's death while others say he forgot to. The wireless also would give a lot of problems.)[7][1] But by 6 April, the Japanese troops of the Fifteenth Army had Kohima under siege, and supply lines were cut.[1] A 1st Royal Berkshires company commander at the time penned down in this diary "Water was short and restricted to about one pint per man per day [...] Air supply was the key, but the steep terrain and narrow ridges meant that some of the drops went to the Japs".[4] The Japanese also brought anti-aircraft guns with them, breaking the supply chain even more.[1]

For Badluram's company, because of the extra supplies that had been arriving in the days leading up to the siege, things were easier. This extra ration helped the company survive through the siege.[8] The song was composed in his honour with the lyrics "Badluram ka badan zameen ka neeche hai/ toh humey uska ration milta hai" ("Badluram's body is buried but we get his rations").[9][10] Created in 1946 by Major M. T. Proktor, the song was inspired by and set to the tune of "John Brown's Body" – "Battle Hymn of the Republic".[11][12] It has become the regimental song of the Assam Regiment,[13] and is sung by Assam Regiment recruits at their attestation parade in Shillong.[14][15] In September 2019, a video emerged of American and Indian soldiers singing the song together during a joint exercise at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.[16]

• Director of Public Relations (1991). Sainik Samachar. Ministry of Defence. 38. Government of India.
• Gautam Sharma (2000). Reference Manual. Indian Army. Reliance Publishing House. ISBN 9788175101142.

• Bedu Pako Baro Masa
• Qadam Qadam Badaye Ja
• Sare Jahan se Accha