August 5, 2019
A graphic novel on the life of Kargil war veteran and India’s first
blade runner Devender Pal Singh captures his incredible struggle and
resilience. Called Grit: The Major Story, the book captures Singh’s life
story, starting from his childhood to winning the National award.
The story of India’s first blade runner Major D P Singh
comes alive in the form of a graphic novel in the book Grit: The
Major Story. It has been written by V R Ferose, the
Silicon-based software executive and Founder-Managing Trustee, The
India Inclusion Foundation.
On July 15 1999, Major Singh lost a limb during the Kargil War. He was
affected with gangrene and had to be evacuated from the battlefield by
soldiers who risked their lives to save him. Major Singh was even declared
dead by a doctor, but he fought back and even today jokingly celebrates July
15 as his death anniversary.
The idea of writing a book came to Ferose, who is a friend of Singh’s, over
a year ago. He contacted Chennai-based illustrator Sriram
Jagannathan, who has previously worked on a graphic novel about
disability rights activist Malvika Iyer called
Mai.
With the help of details from Singh, every effort was made to bring to life
his inspiring story. A man of ordinary beginnings, Singh went on to become
known as ‘India’s first blade runner’, become a Limca World
Records holder and the first Indian with a disability to skydive solo.
The book starts with his childhood and ends with Singh getting a
National Award for empowerment of persons with disabilities.
The book also has a foreword by Indian Army General Bipin
Rawat, who called Major Singh a “true Indian Army soldier who keeps
the country and his team above his own self”..
The aim of the book is to reach as many as possible without any barriers to
read and understand its spirit of life. Thus, it’s a graphic novel in
simple English. – Major D P Singh, India’s first blade
runner
Speaking to the media, Major Singh said that he hopes the visual element will
help connect to larger audiences. “ I understand that to connect with
people, the auditory part is important but so is the visual part. The
pictures you use leave a long lasting impression”. Furthermore, even children
can access the content of the book and so there is a variety in the readers.
Narrating the story through images, hopes Sriram, will also inspire more
people to read the book, said Sriram who spent 10 months giving it shape.
“Since Major Singh is also a motivational speaker, he was comfortable
opening up. I would ensure with him that my narratives and visuals were
conveying the right meaning”, said Sriram to DT Next.
”As a storyteller, I needed to get all my facts right — like the Army
ranks, uniform etc”. By narrating the story through visuals he hopes to get
more people, children and adults, to read and be inspired.
Major Singh ran his first marathon in 2009 with an artificial leg. In 2011,
the Indian Army provided him with a blade. “The first five runs were
difficult. “The blade is used for extreme activities and to use this as
prosthesis for an endurance activity was not possible here in India. The
craftsmanship was missing”. He went on to skydive and made it to the
history books as the one of the few persons with disability to do a solo
skydive.
