Major Baljit Singh Zakhmi

Major Baljit Singh Zakhmi was born in 1932 in Rawalpindi, Punjab. He recalls that his father took part in the struggle for independence. He was one of five brothers and one sister. Maj. Zakhmi was about 15 years old at the time of Partition. He witnessed much violence taking place in Rawalpindi. On September 10th, his father decided to move and he bought tickets for a bus to Srinagar, Kashmir. They missed the bus but later heard that its passengers were looted and burnt alive. Instead, Maj. Zakhmi's family joined a group moving from Peshawar to India. They reached Jhelum and their buses were checked, as there was a rule that gold and silver could not move out the country. With the help of local police, the people in the buses moved to refugee camps. Maj. Zakhmi says that he was very shaken by the experience of the journey and what he witnessed. They stayed in Sargodha for two days. While crossing the border, they saw the dead lying along the sides of the road and they left with heavy hearts.
Maj. Zakhmi's family came to settle in Delhi. His father worked as a tonga driver. In 1952, Maj. Zakhmi passed tenth grade. When Maj. Zakhmi was in 11th grade, he wrote poetry which expressed pain and suffering, so his teacher gave him the name of Baljit Singh “Zakhmi.” He also started writing in Urdu. In 1962 he decided to join the army and two years later, he was appointed a commissioned officer and sent to Pathankot, Punjab. He then became a lieutenant. After 13 years of service in the army, Maj. Zakhmi become a major and remained such for nine years.