Karnataka - Bangalore   

Remembering two centuries of valour

Special Correspondent

FOR DISPLAY: A tank brought by the MEG from North Africa installed at a circle near Ulsoor Lake in Bangalore. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BANGALORE: Back in the 1780s they helped the East India Company win battles for supremacy in the Carnatic, as the Southern Peninsula was known at the time. Those were the early years of the Madras Engineer Group (MEG). They also served in the Afghan wars and the two World Wars. A German tank captured by the Madras Sappers in the North Africa campaign is now displayed near Ulsoor Lake.

You can learn more about them at the Sapper's Museum and Archives, which takes you through two centuries of valour.

"We are a small part of the Indian Army," says Colonel Commandant of MEG K.S. Rao.

In modern warfare, "anti-personnel" mines, that can kill or maim not just the enemy but innocent civilians long after a war ends, are a problem many countries have to face.

Adults may be able to read warning signs and avoid a minefield, however, children often fall victims. The Sappers have been trained to detect and remove mines, often at their own risk, to make life safer for others. MEG is also holding its biennial regimental commanders conference this week.

Commanding officers of all Madras Sappers units and other senior officers of the group will assemble here for a few days and discuss important issues.

These usually relate to the training and welfare of troops, help for ex-servicemen and war widows, and future plans of the group.

This year the conference will be chaired by Lieutenant General Rao. Ranjit Singh, Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army who has served in the Madras Sapper, will attend the conference.

To mark the 225th anniversary, the Army Postal Service is releasing a first day cover on October 8.

Another event is a motorcycle and cycle rally "Thambi Udhaar II", in which five teams of 20 persons each will start from Secunderabad, Trivandrum Chennai, Kannur and Belgaum on October 10.

They will end the rally in Bangalore the next day. Along the way they will meet ex-servicemen and war widows of the Sappers.

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