61 year old Lieutenant General Alok Singh Kler , PVSM, VSM, ADC, a retired General Officer in the Indian Army, who last served as The Army Commander of the South Western Command, is a cycling aficionado, He made news when he cycled 270 km from Delhi to Jaipur to take command of the South Western Command. As an Army Commander, he was entitled to fly down to his headquarters or drive down in a cavalcade of military vehicles.
So taken up was General Alok with the mission Atulya Ganga and its effort to create public awareness for the need of public pariticipation (Jan Bhagedari), he delivered many inspiring, impassioned talks to NCC cadets and young students all along the way. The General said that by the time the cyclothon finished, he had become Ganga.
General Alok hails from a military family which originated in Kakrala Kalan near Ludhiana, Punjab, India. The family has over 300 years of service in the Indian Armed Forces. His father, Gen Gurdev Singh Kler was Mentioned in dispatches (MiD) in Sialkot in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 fighting with 18th Cavalry. Commanding 56 Brigade, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for capturing the largest group of armed insurgents in Nagaland in the 1970s. His elder brother, Jasjit Singh Kler was in the Indian Air Force. He served as the Commandant of the National Defence Academy before retiring as an Air Marshal. His Uncle, Gen Hardev Singh Kler was awarded the Mahavir Chakra in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 for commanding 95 Brigade. His formation was among the first to enter Dhaka. Alok’s father-in-law, Brigadier Narinder Singh Sandhu saw action in both the wars of 1965 and 1971 and was awarded the Mahavir Chakra.