107 years in service of India & still counting

JAISALMER: The family of Rajasthan's Ranbanka Rathore (Rajput fighter clan) prides itself on the fact that its four generations have been serving the nation in uniformed services for the last 107 years. The family has become exemplary and its fifth generation is as passionate about carrying the legacy forward. The Rathore family hails from Bikaner. Pushpendra Singh Rathore, who is the fourth generation of the family, is presently deployed as DIG at the BSF Rajasthan frontier headquarters in Jodhpur. In 1987, he joined BSF as an assistant commandant and has been serving the nation since last 24 years. Before BSF, he was posted in the Sircreek area in Gujarat and to protect the national border, he formed a crocodile team and played an important role in protecting the sea borders.
Shardul Singh Rathore was the first member of the Rathore family to join the defence services in 1905. He was born in 1881. He took commission in Ganga Risala in Bikaner and in 1937 he retired from the post of colonel. Singh, on behalf of British Army, participated in the first World War and for his excellent performance, Britain conferred Knightwood on him and also gave him the title of 'Sir'. Bikaner's king, too, had bestowed on him the title of 'Rao Bahadur' and later he was the Public Works Department (PWD) minister in Bikaner for many years.
Shardul Singh was succeeded by his elder son Jaswant Singh, who joined service in Imperial Police in 1937. He served as SP in TRG centre, Punjab, and at state police in Jaisalmer and in 1976, after 39 years he retired from the post of IG, intelligence, from Rajasthan Police.
From the third generation Shyam Pratap Singh Rathore joined Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) as a sub-inspector in 1965 and later fought the war against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 with BSF.
Pushpendra Singh Rathore belongs to the fourth generation of the family and is deployed at the national border and his son, Chandra Veer Singh, who has applied to the National Defence Academy, is all set to follow in his ancestors' footsteps.