In a remarkable celebration of longevity, resilience, and passion for life, Brigadier Wazir Singh Choudhary (Retd) turned 100 Sunday. The centenarian Army veteran, who now lives in Panchkula, continues to inspire those around him not only with stories from a life shaped by war, Partition, and service but also with his continued dedication to playing golf three times a week. Born on April 20, 1925, in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan), Brig Choudhary’s life has been a witness to some of the most defining events of modern Indian history. Speaking of his early life, he recalled surviving the 1947 riots, which forced his family to flee to Amritsar. “Our entire village would have been massacred by Muslim rioters, had we not been evacuated by the Army on the night of August 14,” he remembered. After completing his engineering studies from Delhi Polytechnic in 1948 — delayed due to the riots —Brig Choudhary joined the Indian Military Academy in 1949 and was commissioned into the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering later that year. He went on to serve with distinction in both the 1965 and 1971 wars, earning a Commendation Card from the Chief of Army Staff. He retired in 1979 as Commandant of the 515 Army Base Workshop in Bangalore. After retirement, he settled in Panchkula and dedicated much of his time to golf — a sport he took up in 1968 while posted in Ahmedabad. A longstanding member of the Chandigarh Golf Club (since 1979), Brig Choudhary has won multiple tournaments over the years, including the Trident PGA (Above 70 category) in 2007 and Engineer’s Golf Tournament (Team Championship) in 2009. Even today, at 100, he plays nine holes three times a week, encouraged by his fellow golfers. To mark the milestone, Assistant Governor of Rotary Zone 8 Chandigarh and fellow golfer Jaspal Singh Sidhu hosted a small celebration at the golf course. “I feel like sharing the life journey of such a blessed person to motivate others,” said Sidhu, who also announced he would soon release a video conversation with Brig Choudhary recorded on the course.
