Jaswant Singh Gill (1939-2019) was the Chief Engineer of India. He risked his life to save 65 coal miners in the 1989 Raniganj coal mine tragedy in West Bengal. This rescue operation is considered to be the first successful coal mine rescue operation in India and the world. He died of cardiac arrest at his home in Amritsar, Punjab, India on November 26, 2019
Wiki/Biography
Sardar Jaswant Singh Gill was born on Wednesday, November 22, 1939 in Sathiala, Amritsar, Punjab, India (he died aged 80). His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. From grade one to grade four, he studied in an Urdu school in Amritsar, Punjab. He then completed his 12th grade from Khalsa College, Amritsar, Punjab, India. He studied at Khalsa College in Amritsar for B.Sc. 1959 (non-medical). He then studied at Panjab University, Chandigarh. He graduated in Mining Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian Institute of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, from 1961 to 1965. While he was pursuing graduation, he participated in various bhangra competitions.
Jaswant Singh Gill in Bhangra match
In 2018, he entered Khalsa College in Amritsar to pursue his LLB degree. However, due to his death in 2019, he was unable to complete his degree.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′10″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: black
family
Jaswant Singh was born into a Sikh family.
Parents and siblings
His father, Daswandha Singh Gill, was a senior employee of the postal department in Amritsar, Punjab. His mother’s name is Sadani Pretam Kaur Gill. He has two brothers namely Kulwant Singh Gill (retired bank manager) and Dr. Harwant Singh Gill (D. Ortho, retired as SMO from PCMS College). He has two sisters. His sister Narinder Kaur is a teacher and retired as the principal of a government school. His second sister Dr. Raminder Kaur is a pathologist and former dean of Rajindra Medical College, Patiala and GMC Medical College, Amritsar. Jaswant Singh is the fourth child of his parents.
wife and children
On October 19, 1969, he married Nirdosh Kaur. The couple has two sons. His eldest son Sarpreet Singh Gill is a cardiologist working at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, and his younger son Randip Singh Gill ) is an entrepreneur and real estate professional living in Vancouver, Canada. He has two daughters: Poonam Gill and Sheena Gill.
Jaswant Singh Gill and his wife
Jaswant Singh Gill and his son Dr. Sarpreet Singh Gill
Poonam Gill, daughter of Jaswant Singh Gill
Jaswant Singh Gill’s children
Profession
After completing his graduation in mining engineering, he got a job offer with coal company Chand Thapar & Bros (Coal Sales) Ltd. After working there for a few years, Jaswant quit his job and started working with Coal India Ltd. in 1972 as an engineer. After a few years, he was promoted as Divisional Engineer and Executive Engineer in Coal India Limited. Later, he was promoted as Chief General Manager, ED (Safety and Rescue), Coal India Limited, Raniganj, West Bengal.
Coal Mine Rescue Operation 1989
In 1989, Jaswant served as Chief General Manager, ED (Safety and Rescue), Coal India Limited, Raniganj, West Bengal. On November 13, 1989, while 220 coal miners were working in a coal mine in Raniganj, West Bengal, during a series of explosions that destroyed the mine, one accidentally came into contact with the upper coal seam of the mine, causing water to begin flooding. mine. During the riot, 71 miners out of 220 were trapped in the shaft, and the others were immediately evacuated from the mine. Soon, water began to fill the shaft, causing six coal miners to drown and another 65 to become trapped.
Jaswant Singh at the scene of the Raniganj coal mine tragedy (1989)
When Jaswant Singh reached the scene, he decided to save the lives of 65 miners at all costs. He then came up with the idea of making a steel capsule that could help evacuate people one at a time. A 22-inch diameter borehole was immediately drilled through which the capsule could pass. After two days of working around the clock, the capsule was finally ready. Jaswant Singh briefed two rescuers on the rescue process, but at the last moment, they ran away. Jaswant Singh then decided to carry out the rescue process himself. He then asked the Chairman for permission to enter the steel capsule. However, the Chairman was not ready to risk Jaswant’s life. Later, Jaswant somehow convinced the Chairman, who said:
The person who saves these miners will have his name engraved in the history of mining. “
At 2:30 am on November 16, 1989, Jaswant entered the space capsule and went deep into the shaft to rescue the trapped miners. Jaswant’s son shared the entire incident in an interview and said:
At 2:30 a.m. on the night of November 16, 1989, my father entered the space capsule, preparing to enter some kind of death trap. Nearly 100,000 people gathered at the scene chanted slogans to encourage him. As the capsule begins to descend, the torque in the new wire rope begins to lessen, causing the capsule to spin at high speed in a clockwise, then counterclockwise direction. It was a nerve-wracking endeavor, but my dad overcame his fear with sheer determination and focus. About 15 minutes later, he reached the bottom of the pit and was using a manual winch to lower the capsule. “
His son further shared the story of how Jaswant Singh saved the miners one by one. He said,
When he opened the front hatch of the space capsule, he saw 65 horrified faces in front of him, with the fear of impending death written all over their faces. He grabbed the nearest worker, put him into the capsule, and used the hammer he carried to signal the capsule to be hoisted up. He then turned to the remaining miners and asked them if any of them were injured or sick. The first 9 tokens are for those with injuries and fevers. He then asked about the rank of the workers, issued tokens from the lowest worker to the most senior worker, and told them that he would send them out one by one before finally evacuating the mine. “
Jaswant Singh Gill and the capsule used in coal mine tragedy
After all the miners were evacuated, Jaswant Singh finally emerged from the well. The whole process lasted about 6 hours. Later, he assisted in the rescue of 14 trapped miners in the East Jaintia Hills coal mine in Meghalaya. Jaswant Singh retired from Coal India Limited in 1998 and was appointed as one of the members of the Amritsar Disaster Management Committee, Punjab, India in 2008. On April 26, 2018, he began serving as President of Rotary International.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- 1991: Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak designed by then President Ramaswamy Venkataraman
Jaswant Singh Gill holding Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak
Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak by Jaswant Singh Gill, composed by then President Ramaswamy Venkataraman
- 2005: Limca Book of Records becomes national record holder for the most successful and largest rescue operation in mining history
- November 29, 2009: Indian School of Mines Alumni Association, Delhi (ISMAA) conferred Lifetime Achievement Award in Mining Industry
- November 1, 2013: Lifetime Achievement Award and Rs 1 Lakh from then Union Minister Sri Prakash Jaiswal
- 2013: Swami Vivekanand Excellence Award
Jaswant Singh Gill receives Swami Vivekanand Excellence Award
- December 24, 2014: Outstanding Human Service Award from Harman Educational and Social Welfare Society, Amritsar
- June 7, 2018: The largest coal mine rescue operation in London, UK enters the world record book
Jaswant Singh Gill receives certificate from World Records Book
- 2018: India Icon Award by Real Flavors Media Group
Jaswant Singh Gill wins India Icon Award
- 2019: National Pride Awards, Delhi
Jaswant Singh Gill receives National Pride Award
- May 12, 2019: Honorary Doctorate (PhD) awarded by Global Achievement University, Tamil Nadu
Jaswant Singh Gill Awards
Other awards
- Vijay Rath National Award from IICM Ranchi
Jaswant Singh Gill wins Vijay Rath Award
- Safety Excellence Award from Coal India Ltd. Kolkata
- Bhagat Puran Singh Award from Guru Arjun Dev Mandal, Patiala
- Farishta-E-Kaum Award from Sache Patshah Magazine, New Delhi
Jaswant Singh Gill wins award
die
On November 26, 2019, he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home in Amritsar, Punjab, India. His antim ardaas (last rites) were performed at Gurudwara Chhevin Patshahi, Block A/B, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
Facts/Trivia
- Jaswant Singh is also known as “Gill Capsule”.
- In India, November 16 is observed as “Rescue Day” to commemorate Jaswant Singh’s 1989 rescue operation.
- In 2019, he was invited to participate in the talk show “Josh Talks” (Punjabi) as a guest speaker.
Jaswant Singh Gill as Josh Talks
- In memory of Jaswant Singh Gill, the Jaswant Singh Gill Memorial Award for Excellence in Industrial Safety has been established with a cash prize of Rs 50,000.
- A market on Majisa Road in Amritsar, Punjab, India is also named after him.
The bazaar on Majitha Road is named after Er Jaswant Singh Gill
- In his memory, a memorial gate has been constructed in Kunustoria District, Eastern Coalfield Limited and ECL West Bengal. An announcement was also made in his memory.
Memorial Gate built in memory of Jaswant Singh Gill in Kunustoria area of Eastern Coalfields Ltd.
Garden named in memory of Jaswant Singh Gill
- On April 11, 2022, his portrait was unveiled at the Sikh Museum in the Golden Temple. His family attended the event.
Family of Jaswant Singh Gill at the unveiling of portrait at the Sikh Museum of the Holy Golden Temple
- In an interview, his son said about making Jaswant Singh Gill’s biopic:
In 2017, he (Jaswant) was approached by Tinu Desai from Mumbai, who had collaborated with actor Akshay Kumar in the Bollywood film Rus Rustom” and offered to make a Hindi film about the rescue. Unfortunately, my father passed away from severe cardiac arrest on November 26, 2019. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education