"Badluram ka Badan" ("Badluram's Body") is the regimental song of the Assam Regiment of the Indian Army. Major M. T. Proktor created the song in honour of Rifleman Badluram, a soldier of the Assam Regiment of the British Indian Army who died while fighting against the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. After Badluram's death, the quartermaster Sub Kandarpa Rajbingshi IDSM (Indian Distinguish Service Medal) did not remove his name from the rations roster and the company continued to draw rations in Badluram's name. This extra ration helped the company survive through a siege when Japanese troops surrounded them during the Battle of Kohima and supplies were cut. Accordingly, the song was composed in Badluram's honour with the lyrics "We get rations because Badluram's body is buried beneath".
Background[]
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]
Lyrics[]
 Video of Badluram ka Badan by Assam Regiment (official YouTube channel of ADGPI Indian Army) |
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| Romanised Hindi | Translation (Approximate) |
|---|---|
Ek khubsurat ladki thi… |
There was a beautiful girl |
Further reading[]
- Director of Public Relations (1991). Sainik Samachar. 38. Government of India. https://books.google.com/books?id=7B_f2KSJA0MC&q=BadluRam+Ka+Badan.
- Gautam Sharma (2000). Reference Manual. Reliance Publishing House. ISBN 9788175101142. https://books.google.com/books?id=ziDfAAAAMAAJ&q=BadluRam+Ka+Badan.
See also[]
- Bedu Pako Baro Masa
- Qadam Qadam Badaye Ja
- Sare Jahan se Accha
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sarkar, Abhinaba (2017-05-26). "Badlu Ram and The Assam Regiment: The Legend that Lives On" (in en-US). https://www.catharsismagazine.com/2017/05/26/badlu/.
- ↑ "Battles of Imphal and Kohima". http://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-imphal.
- ↑ MacSwan, Angus (2013-04-21). "Victory over Japanese at Kohima named Britain's greatest battle" (in en). Reuters. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-battles-idUKBRE93K03220130421.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ministry of Defence (April 2004). The Battle of Kohima, North East India 4 April – 22 June 1944. British MOD, World War Commemorative Booklets. Retrieved 23 April 2020. pg - 3, 6
- ↑ Goswami, Major General PK (2019). "75th Anniversary of the Battle of Kohima" (in en-US). https://usiofindia.org/publication/usi-journal/75th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-kohima/.
- ↑ Copping, Jasper (2013-04-20). "Second World War clashes named as 'Greatest British Battle'" (in en-GB). ISSN 0307-1235. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/10008053/Second-World-War-clashes-named-as-Greatest-British-Battle.html.
- ↑ "'Badluram ka badan': Origins of Indian Army's favourite marching song, and why it retains its iconic status". 16 September 2019. https://www.firstpost.com/india/badluram-ka-badan-origins-of-indian-armys-favourite-marching-song-and-why-it-retains-its-iconic-status-7347391.html.
- ↑ "Tagra Raho - The Legend of Badlu Ram" (in en-GB). 2019-01-18. https://thedarjeelingchronicle.com/tagra-raho-the-legend-of-badlu-ram/.
- ↑ "Badluram ka Badan: The fascinating Assam Regiment song and the story behind it". 13 August 2019. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/badluram-ka-badan-the-fascinating-assam-regiment-song-and-the-story-behind-it/articleshow/70655275.cms.
- ↑ "Celebrate Army Day With Assam Regt Dancing to 'Badluram Ka Badan'" (in en). 2017-08-13. https://www.thequint.com/news-videos/2017/08/13/badluram-ka-badan-assam-regiment-song.
- ↑ Das, Raju (16 May 2016). "Why does AR still praise Badlu Ram?". http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=may1716/oth057.
- ↑ Bhardwaj, Atul (2018-11-02) (in en). India-America Relations (1942-62): Rooted in the Liberal International Order. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-18681-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=S_h1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT35.
- ↑ Ministry of Home Affairs (17 November 2016). "MoS (Home) Shri Kiren Rijiju attends the Platinum Jubilee Ceremony of the Assam Regiment". https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=153775.
- ↑ Hazarika, Myithili (2019-07-21). "Badluram ka badan: How military music keeps recruits bang on the beat" (in en-US). https://theprint.in/features/badluram-ka-badan-how-military-music-keeps-recruits-bang-on-the-beat/265660/.
- ↑ Alexander, Deepa (2017-02-03). "The soldier's song" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/society/A-documentary-on-Havildar-Hangpan-Dada-AC/article17175450.ece.
- ↑ "When US soldiers sang and danced to Badluram ka badan with Indian armymen". 15 September 2019. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/american-indian-soldiers-sing-badluram-ka-badan-1599362-2019-09-15.
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