Grenadier Shish Ram

Grenadier Shish Ram was born on 1st May 1974 in Khyaliyo ki Dhani village of Surajgarh Tehsil in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. Son of an army veteran Satya Narayan and Smt Parmeshwari. Gdr Shish Ram was the eldest among three siblings. Right from his younger days he understood the responsibility of being the eldest child and helped his family at farms along with his studies. Inspired by his father to join the Indian Army, Gdr Shish Ram too joined the army after completing his school education. He joined Army in the year 1994 on 28th Feb and was recruited into the 6 Grenadiers Bn of the Grenadiers, an Infantry Regiment known for its intrepid soldiers and various battle honours.  After serving for a few months, Gdr Shish Ram got married to Ms. Anita in the year 1994 and the couple had a son Ashok.

Operation Meghdoot: 05 Mar 1996

During 1996, Gdr Shish Ram’s unit 6 Grenadiers, was deployed in one of the most remote parts of the glacier that remained inaccessible during winter. The troops besides manning designated posts also undertook regular patrols to monitor the area along the border. On Mar 05, 1996, the glacier in the mountainous northern region of Ladakh received heavy snowfall resulting in avalanches in the area. On that day Grenadier Shish Ram was part of the patrol team carrying out the assigned task in the rugged and inhospitable terrain. While the patrol was on its way, it got struck by an avalanche and Gdr Shish Ram got swept away. The Army launched concerted efforts and pressed the specially equipped Avalanche Rescue Teams into service to search for the missing soldier.

The soldiers deployed in the region faced extreme risks in manning the posts at heights of 19,000 feet under extreme weather conditions on the world’s highest battlefield. Avalanches usually took place due to the accumulation of snow and were triggered by the morning sunlight. In other cases, when the slope of accumulated snow was between 60 to 80 degrees, the instability led to an avalanche. Despite unstinted efforts, the rescue team could not locate Gdr Shish Ram for a long time. Eventually, the body of Gdr Shish Ram was recovered after seven hours of search. Gdr Shish Ram was a valiant and committed soldier who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation at the age of 22 years in the line of duty.

Gdr Shish Ram is survived by his father Shri Satya Narayan,mother Smt Parmeshwari, wife Smt Anita Shambu and son Ashok.