A Tale of Valour

1. Unit at a glance

• The unit “Values and Dispositions” contains a prose piece (“A Tale of Valour: Major Somnath Sharma and the Battle of Badgam”) and a poem (“Somebody’s Mother” by Mary Dow Brine).
• Both pieces highlight courage, selflessness and duty towards others.
• The prose recounts a historical act of military valour; the poem depicts an everyday act of kindness.
• The common theme is that true valour and compassion arise from putting others before oneself.
• The unit links personal sacrifice (battlefield and street) with lasting inspiration for future generations.
• Activities and questions in the unit focus on understanding chronology, values and literary appreciation.

2. Prose

Summary

The prose is a tribute to Major Somnath Sharma, India’s first Param Vir Chakra recipient. It narrates how, on 3 November 1947, he and 90 soldiers of D Company, 4 Kumaon Regiment, held off nearly 500 Pakistani-backed infiltrators at Badgam village to protect the Srinagar airfield. Despite being vastly outnumbered, injured and running out of ammunition, Major Sharma refused to withdraw and fought till the last round. His stand delayed the enemy long enough for reinforcements to arrive, ultimately saving Srinagar. He was killed by a mortar shell and awarded the PVC posthumously.

Setting

Kashmir Valley, especially the village of Badgam (less than 5 km from Srinagar airfield), during the Indo-Pak conflict of October–November 1947.

Main characters

• Major Somnath Sharma: 24-year-old officer of the Kumaon Regiment who led from the front despite a plastered left hand and died fighting.
• D Company soldiers (90 men): Brave troops who continued the fight even after their commander’s death.
• Pakistani-backed tribal infiltrators (≈500): Guerrilla force that launched the attack.

Sequence of key events

• August 1947: Pakistan launches Operation Gulmarg to annex Kashmir.
• 27 October 1947: Indian troops airlifted to Srinagar.
• 31 October 1947: D Company under Major Sharma reaches Srinagar.
• 3 November 1947: D Company is the last to return from Badgam patrol; enemy attacks.
• Major Sharma requests air strikes, directs fire, loads magazines and refuses to withdraw (“I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round”).
• He is killed by a mortar shell; his men hold the position for six more hours.
• Result: Enemy suffers heavy casualties and is demotivated; Srinagar is saved. Major Sharma is awarded the PVC posthumously.

3. Poem

Central idea

An old, neglected woman is helped across a busy, slippery street by one kind schoolboy; the boy’s empathy is rewarded by the woman’s grateful prayer, showing that small acts of kindness create a chain of human goodness.

Stanza-by-stanza sense

• Stanzas 1–2: The old, ragged woman stands alone at the crossing, ignored by the crowd.
• Stanzas 3–4: Schoolboys rush past laughing, leaving her unaided.
• Stanzas 5–6: One boy stops, offers help and safely guides her across.
• Stanzas 7–8: He returns to his friends, explaining he helped because “She’s somebody’s mother.”
• Stanzas 9–10: That night the woman prays for the “noble boy.”

Tone/mood

Sympathetic and gentle; the mood moves from loneliness and neglect to quiet hope and warmth.

4. Themes and messages

• Valour and sacrifice: “I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round” (Major Sharma).
• Empathy and kindness: “She’s somebody’s mother, boys, you know” (the boy).
• The writer wants readers to understand that courage and compassion, whether on the battlefield or in daily life, protect society and inspire future generations.

5. Literary devices (with text examples)
- Simile: “Came the boys like a flock of sheep”
- Alliteration: “The street was wet with a recent snow”
- Repetition: “forever alive, forever alive” (prose); “Somebody’s mother” (poem)
- Imagery: “The air was thick with the sound of gunfire and the cries of battle”
- Personification: “the street was wet with a recent snow” (snow actively wets the street)

6. Vocabulary

• valour: courage
• infiltrators: people who secretly invade
• outnumbered: greater in number
• resolute: determined
• tenacity: determination
• posthumously: after death
• ragged: old and torn
• heeded: paid attention to
• hastened: hurried
• lend a hand: help somebody

7. Exam pitfalls

• Confusing the date of the battle (3 November 1947) with the date the PVC was awarded.
• Mixing up the number of soldiers (90) with the number of infiltrators (≈500).
• Forgetting that Major Sharma’s last words show refusal to withdraw, not a request for help.
• Treating the poem’s boy as “somebody’s son” instead of recognising the reciprocal “somebody’s mother” idea.
• Overlooking that the prose is a tribute and not a fictional story.