Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Kulwant Singh (born 10 September 1939),

UYSM Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM; ''Great War Service Medal'') is one of India's military decorations for Wartime Distinguished Service. It is awarded for a high degree of distinguished services in an operational context. "Operational context" includes ...

is a former General Officer of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. He last served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 27 Mountain Division. He had earlier served as the Deputy GOC 54th Infantry Division that was a part the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka, and as Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor of the

Infantry School A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. France ...

Mhow Mhow, officially Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, is a town in the Indore district in Madhya Pradesh state of India. It is located south-west of Indore city, towards Mumbai on the old Mumbai-Agra Road. The town was renamed as ''Dr. Ambedkar Nagar'' in 20 ...

Early life and education

Singh was born on 10 September 1939, at Kohmari (now in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

). He traveled with his family during the partition of India in 1947 and settled in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, India. He is the son of Sewa Singh, who was a Major with the

Indian Army during the Second World War The Indian Army during World War II, a British force also referred to as the British Indian Army, began the war, in 1939, numbering just under 200,000 men.Sumner, p.25 By the end of the war, it had become the largest volunteer army in history, ...

and was awarded the MBE. Singh completed his primary education at Rawalpindi, Pakistan (when it was a part of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

) and then completed rest of the school education at

, India. Singh joined the

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...

(NDA) at Khadakwasla near Pune, Maharashtra in 1955 and thereafter the

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

(IMA) at Dehradun in 1958. He qualified for the prestigious Higher Command Course at College of Combat, Mhow and is a graduate of the Defence Service Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, India. Singh received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from Devi Ahilya University, Indore and M.Sc. in Defence Studies from

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Human Resource Development from

Indira Gandhi National Open University Indira Gandhi National Open University, known as IGNOU, is a Central University located at Maidan Garhi, New Delhi, India. Named after former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of 20& ...

(IGNOU) in New Delhi. He also holds a postgraduate diploma in Management from the Regional College of Management and Technology (RCMT), Secunderabad.

Army career

Singh was commissioned into the 62 Cavalry of the Indian Army in June 1959. He commanded the 19

Rajputana Rifles The Rajputana Rifles is the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army. It was originally a part of the British Indian Army, when six previously existing regiments were amalgamated to form six battalions of the 6th Rajputana Rifles. In 1945, the ...

, and as a full Colonel, he raised the Naugam Sector. As a Brigadier, he commanded the 104 Infantry Brigade. Thereafter, Singh was posted as BGS Headquarters Western Command. He was the Dy. G.O.C (General Officer Commanding) of the 54 Infantry Division. Singh was one of the key strategists in the battle for

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...

with the

IPKF Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lank ...

in Sri Lanka. As a Major-General, he was the General Officer Commanding (G.O.C.) of the 27 Mountain Division at Kalimpong. He was then posted as MGGS Headquarters at Western Command. Singh is a veteran of two wars with Pakistan ( 1965 and 1971). He commanded squadron of tanks in both the wars. Singh also commanded two active combat formations: a division deployed along Indo-China border, and a Brigade deployed on the Line of Control (LoC) against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir (both in snow bound high altitude areas). He also has long experience in tackling terrorism and insurgency.

Post-retirement

Singh retired in 1995 as Major-General from the Infantry School, Mhow. After retirement, he became the Director of

Maharishi Institute of Management Maharishi Institute of Management (MIM) is a group of private institutes founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi with locations in Maharishi Nagar(NOIDA), Bhopal, Indore, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, India.Noida Noida, short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a planned city located in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Noida is a satellite city of Delhi and is a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) o ...

, and Vice Chancellor of

Maharishi University of Management and Technology Maharishi University of Management and Technology is a private university was established vide Chhattisgarh Private Universities (Establishment and Operations) (Amendment) Act 2018 and received the assent of Hon’ble Governor of C.G. on 13 Apri ...

(MUMT) located at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. Singh was made the Defense Minister of

Global Country of World Peace The Global Country of World Peace (GCWP) is a non-profit organization that claims to promote Transcendental Meditation, education, and the construction of "buildings for peace" in the world's major cities. Inaugurated by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, ...

founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He was also the Director General of Invincible Defense (Vedic Defense), Director General of Maharishi Corporate Development Programme (MCDP), the Director General for Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS), USA and the Director, Global Union of Scientists for Peace. Singh held a press conference at the

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

on the morning of 11 September 2001, where he and other scientists advocated deployment of Invincible Defense Technology for peace. The press conference had to be stopped mid-way because of the 9/11 attack on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

complex in Lower Manhattan on the same day.

Personal life

Singh was married to Sonya Kulwant Singh (died in 1999). He has two daughters, Harleena Singh and Preeti Singh. His family is based in

Panchkula Panchkula (PKL) is a planned city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district, part of the Ambala division in Haryana, India. The origin of the name Panchkula came from the place where five irrigation canals meet. Panchkula establis ...

, Haryana, India.

Awards and decorations

During his career, Singh was awarded the

Uttam Yudh Seva Medal Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM; ''Great War Service Medal'') is one of India's military decorations for Wartime Distinguished Service. It is awarded for a high degree of distinguished services in an operational context. "Operational context" includes ...

(1988), the second highest decoration of senior officers, during

operations in Sri Lanka, for outstanding performance in a war situation.

Publications

His articles have been published in various newspapers and websites as a defense expert advocating the Maharishi Invincible Defense Technology for peace. Singh has also written articles for

The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers: United States Daily California *'' Oakland Tribune'' * ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo) *''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' Indiana *'' Kokomo Tribune'' *'' Peru Tribune'' * ''The Tri ...

newspaper on various episodes of Sikh history.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Kulwant 1939 births Living people Indian Army officers Indian generals People from Murree Recipients of the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal People of the Indian Peace Keeping Force Army War College, Mhow alumni