Early life Ravindra Kaushik

Ravindra Kaushik (1952–2001) was a former RAW agent who was caught and jailed in Pakistan where he eventually died.



Early life:Ravinder Kaushik was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan on April 11, 1952. He was a famous theater artist and displayed his talent at the national level dramatic meet in Lucknow, which was witnessed by some officials of the Indian Intelligence Agency RAW. He was contacted and offered a job for being an undercover agent of India in Pakistan. At the age of 23, he was sent to Pakistan on a mission.

In Pakistan : Ravinder Kaushik was recruited by RAW and was given extensive training in Delhi for two years. Sunnat (circumcision) was performed on him to show him as a Muslim. He was taught Urdu, given religious education and acquainted with the topography and other details about Pakistan. Being from Punjab-speaking Sri Ganganager, he was well versed in the language which is spoken in major part of Pakistan.

In 1975 he was sent to Pakistan and given the name Nabi Ahmed Shakir. He successed in getting admission in Karachi University and completed his LLB. He joined Pakistan Army and become a commissioned officer and later was promoted to the rank of a Major. He married a local girl Amanat, and became father of a girl. From 1979 to 1983, while in military service, he passed on valuable information to RAW which was of great help to the Indian defence forces. He was given the title of 'Black Tiger' by India's then home minister S.B. Chavan. Some testify that the title was conferred by then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.

He spent 26 years of his life away from his home and family in Pakistan in very unfavourable conditions. During War : Using the secret information provided by Ravinder Kaushik, India formulated a strategy that was always one step ahead of Pakistan's and checkmated it's war plans. On many occasions Pakistan prepared to wage war across the borders of Rajasthan in India, but they were foiled due to the timely advance warning given by Ravinder Kaushik, as he was a senior military officer in Pakistan by now and had access to top secret information.

Death and aftermath : In September 1983, Indian intelligence agencies had sent an agent, Inyat Masiha, to get in touch with Black Tiger. But the agent was caught by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and revealed Ravinder Kaushik's true identity.

Kaushik was then captured, tortured for two years at an interrogation centre in Sialkot. Ravinder was awarded death sentence in the year 1985. His sentence was later commuted to a life term by the Pakistan Supreme court.

Kaushik was kept in various jails, including Sialkot, Kot Lakhpat and in Mianwali jail for 16 years, where he contracted Asthma and TB. He managed to secretly send letters to his family in India, which revealed his poor health condition and the trauma faced by him in Pakistani jails.

In one of his letters he wrote, "Kya Bharat jaise bade desh ke liye kurbani dene waalon ko yahi milta hai?" (Is this the reward a person gets for sacrificing his life for India?)

On 21 November 2001, he succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis and heart disease in New Central Jail Multan. He was buried behind that jail.

Ravindra's family claimed that the story line of the famous Bollywood flick "Ek Tha Tiger" released in the year 2012 was based on the life of Ravindra & asked for the credit in the movie titles for Ravindran
Whatever the truth is now we do know who the real TIGER was. Kudos to Late Ravindra Kaushik, a real patriot of Mother land who even left his true Indentity behind to serve his nation.