Uday was born into a Sikh family - both mother and father being of the Sikh faith.
Uday’s paternal and maternal grandfather were also in the Air Force and Army respectively, as also his father –an officer in the Indian Army who had taken part in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh- in which Uday’s maternal grandfather had commanded an Infantry Brigade.
Uday’s paternal and maternal grandfather were also in the Air Force and Army respectively, as also his father –an officer in the Indian Army who had taken part in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh- in which Uday’s maternal grandfather had commanded an Infantry Brigade.
Uday’s paternal grandmother was a devout Sikh- and she was well-educated with a bachelors in teaching and after some years as a teacher was appointed as a Principal of a Girls School in Lahore, in the mid 1940’s. A very creditable feather in the cap- at a relatively young age. Her father was also in the Military Engineering Service- and a younger brother was in the Indian Air Force.
Also Uday’s maternal great grandfather was in the army and had seen action in the First World War.
Uday was born into a family with a very rich military tradition and so it was no surprise that he had considered the military as a career option- Uday was especially influenced by his paternal grandfather while listening to his daring exploits- his grandfather had joined the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) in Feb 1934 as a Hawai Sepoy – Air Gunner operating in Westland Wapiti’s and who in 1941 became a fighter pilot flying innumerable sorties during the Second World War in Burma against the Japanese. He was also the first to win a gallantry award in the fledgling RIAF for Operations in Waziristan in 1937.
For Uday to become a tanker was the natural choice because of his father, an armor officer- as he had spent a better part of his childhood among tanks in the army camps the family was stationed in.
Both from his mother’s side as well as his father’s, the families had deep roots in West Punjab- however, when India was partitioned into India and Pakistan in 1947, the western part of Punjab they knew so well, went to Pakistan. The families belonged to strong and sturdy farming stock of Punjab- from areas that were once the heart of the Sikh Empire. Apart from time to time having to deal with the nostalgia of the empire, the Sikhs had to defend their new faith time and again, mostly with the sword since its founding which had taken root in Punjab over five hundred years ago- and thus the Sikhs had acquired a kind of a halo of invincibility and valor and came to be known as a race of warriors- always displaying not only courage and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds with grit, determination and sacrifice to defend not only themselves and their faith, but also the weak against all forms of oppression. Apart from that Sikhs- wherever they may be are known not only for their selfless service to others but also a willingness to share on equal terms- as adequately demonstrated by the spirit of “langar”.
These traits were very evident in young Uday and subsequently manifested themselves during his short but courageous service and ultimate sacrifice wearing the uniform of a country –he was not even a citizen off. This sense of “self- belief” of not giving in, whatever the odds and overcoming the same with determination and strong will in a very unfriendly environment -were also very noticeable during his basic training in the US Army-described later.
So as one reads of a young heroes exploits, it comes as no surprise, because of the hundreds of year’s old history of selfless and courageous service that coursed through his blood.
His family background- was what shaped Uday to be what he was. Courageous, brave and with strong values of compassion and kindness and being considerate and helpful towards others. An asset to his school, to his friends and family and to the army that he was proud to be a member of.