Major Dipendra Singh Sengar is a retired Indian Army officer and successful management professional known for his resilience and bravery. Although debilitated by severe injuries and near-death experiences in combat, the formerly wheelchair-bound Kargil war hero defied physical disabilities to carve out a career for himself that most people in his situation could never even dream of.
Wiki/Biography
Major Dipendra Singh Sengar was born on Monday, September 28, 1970 (50 years old in 2020) in a small town in Madhya Pradesh. Sengar dreamed of joining the Army since his childhood. He completed his schooling from the Sainik School in Rewa and subsequently graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 1990. Thereafter, he joined the National Defense Academy and was selected as an officer corps of the Indian Army in 1991. In 2001, due to physical disability sustained in combat, he retired from the armed forces and entered the corporate world by obtaining a Masters in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. To further enrich his knowledge, Sengar completed a one-year Masters in Management program from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2012. In 2013, he moved to Seattle, USA, where he has been living ever since.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 6″
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Black
Major Singer at the Great Wall of China
Family and caste
Parents and siblings
His mother’s name is Mayarani Sengar.
Deependra’s parents and children
Wife and children
Sengar’s wife, Jaya, is the daughter of Indian tiger conservationist Thakur Fateh Singh Rathore, widely known as the “Tiger Guru”.
Deependra Sengar with his wife and children
The couple has two sons, Gyanendra Sengar and Hanut Sengar.
Deependra Singh Sengar and his family
Profession
In the military
In 1991, Sengar was commissioned as an officer in the Indian Army.
Major Dipendra Singh Sengar
While serving in the Army, guarding high altitude borders like the Siachen Glacier and engaging in gun battles with infiltrators were part of his job description.
Deependra Sengar (left) at the Siachen Glacier
After the Kargil War in July 1999, the Indian Army recaptured the posts occupied by Pakistani soldiers on the Indian side of the Line of Control. In August 2019, Dipendra led a detachment of soldiers to the Neelam Valley and successfully captured the Neelam Post. He has participated in several military operations in different parts of India. Dipendra Singh Sengar was an outstanding combat soldier and was awarded the Gallantry Medal in 1999 for intercepting fleeing militants in Assam. Apart from this, he has received 11 other awards for his outstanding military service. Sengar’s military career was interrupted when he was seriously injured in a gunfight with militants in the Kargil region. In 2001, he retired from the army as a major and turned to the corporate world.
In the corporate sector
A man who didn’t touch computers until his 30s, cleared the CAT (Common Admission Test), obtained a degree in management from one of the top management institutes in India (IIMA), and started his corporate career with Laymen brothers as an intern in 2001. From 2003 to 2005, he worked as an associate director at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, an Indian multinational pharmaceutical company. In the following years, he worked in top global multinational companies including Genpact (formerly GE Capital International Services), TMI, and IBN. In 2013, he got a job offer from Microsoft and has been with the company since then. As of 2021, he is a Program Manager, Business Strategy, Microsoft Projects.
Overcoming setbacks
During his military career, Sengar received two life-threatening injuries. The first was in 1998, when he was leading a convoy to Guwahati to eliminate some Naxalites armed with automatic weapons. While on duty, Sengar killed two militants, but he was hit by two bullets that passed through his abdomen and intestines and exited from his back. This injury kept him out of combat for almost a year, much shorter than the doctors had expected (18-24 months).
Major Dipendra Singh Sengar is welcomed by soldiers of the regiment after recovering from injuries sustained in the 1998 battle
After recovering from his injuries, he even led a few operations during the 1999 Kargil War and thereafter. The next tragic incident took place in September 1999, which ended his career in the Army. The injuries he sustained this time were much more serious than the previous one. While conducting a counter-terrorist operation in Kashmir, Sengar was hit by a burst of fire from an AK-47 rifle and his hip bone was shattered. He was evacuated to the Army Hospital in Delhi. He was undergoing treatment for multiple injuries all over his body. The doctors were not sure if he would survive, but he did. Even after sustaining serious injuries, the patriotism deep in Major Sengar’s soul did not bring his spirit down because the first thing he did after regaining consciousness was to call his commanding officer and request him not to appoint any other team commander as he would be back in action. Little did he know that he would be staying in the hospital for longer than he expected. He was shocked when the doctor announced,
You will never walk again”
This meant that he would be confined to a wheelchair, or at best, a cane, for the rest of his life. With this in mind, he decided to retire and join the corporate world. Although he built a successful and brilliant career in the corporate world, he was confined to crutches for the next ten years.
A photo taken in 2009 shows Deependra Singh walking with a cane
Web drama adaptation
On 21 January 2020, a web series inspired by the life of Devendra Singh Sengar, Jeet Ki Zidd, was released on ZEE 5. The web series narrates the highlights of Deependra’s life and tells how he overcame all odds in different fields, be it in the battlefield or in his personal life. His role in the web series is played by Indian film actor Amit Sadh, who is known for playing supporting roles in Bollywood films such as Kai Po Che (2013), starring Sushant Singh Rajput.
Facts/Tips
- Many people don’t know that Sengar, who was called “Rocket” by his subordinates, failed his first enlistment physical exam. He was rejected due to his physical timidity and was placed on probation. Later, Sengar gained some weight and finally passed the physical exam.
- Deependra’s friends and relatives fondly call him Deepip.
- Sengar did not learn to swim until he joined the National Defense Academy in 1987. Moreover, he was afraid of entering the water.
Senger (first from right) a few days after starting to swim
During his training at NDA, Sengar not only overcame his fear of water but also won a gold medal in a diving competition. He went from a novice to a professional swimmer in just 3 months.
Sengar won the gold medal in the platform diving competition held by students of NDA class
- Sengar has lived in various parts of the world for most of his life. He lived in Hyderabad from 2003 to 2008 and is very familiar with Telugu culture.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education