Twenty years ago, a letter from a village in Himachal Pradesh arrived at the Ministry of Defence. The writer was a School Teacher and his request was as follows :
"Could my wife and I be granted the permission to see the place where our only son died a heroic death in the Kargil war, on the day of his first Death Anniversary on 07/07/2000, if possible? To us, the day will always remain as a memorial day. I'll understand if it cannot be granted for reasons of national security. In that case, I shall withdraw my application."
The Department Officer, who read the letter, said...
"It does not matter what the cost of their visit is going to be. I shall bear the entire cost from my own salary if the Department does not approve of it. But, I shall bring the Teacher and his wife to the place where their only child died, come what may."
He issued an order immediately to that effect. On the day of remembrance of the deceased hero, the elderly couple was brought to the ridge with due respect. When the Teacher was taken to the place where his son had died, everyone on duty stood erect and saluted. However, one soldier among them handed him a bunch of flowers, bowed before him, touched his feet, wiped his eyes and saluted.
Filled with emotions, the Teacher asked...
“You are an Officer of Indian Army. Why did you touch my feet?"
The soldier replied...
"Well sir, I am the only one present here who was with your son on the fateful day and the only one here who witnessed your son’s heroism on the battlefield. The Pakistanis were shooting hundreds of bullets per minute from their H.M.G. Five of us advanced to a distance of thirty feet and we were hiding behind a rock." He paused for a while.
"What happened next Officer?" Asked the Teacher...
"I told him that I would go for the ‘Death Charge’. I would take their bullets, run to their bunker and throw the grenade. After that all of you could capture their bunker. As I was about to run towards their bunker, your son stopped me."
"What did my son say, Officer?"
"Well sir, these were his exact words..."
"Are you crazy? You have a wife and children. I am still unmarried and hence, I shall go. I'll do the 'Death Charge' and you do the covering."
"And did he go for the 'Death Charge'?" Urged the Teacher...
"Sure, he did. Without hesitating a moment, he snatched the grenade from me and ran for the 'Death Charge'. As the Pakistani H.M.G. rained bullets on your son, he dodged them, reached the Pakistani bunker, took the pin out of the grenade and threw it right into the bunker. As many as thirteen Pakistanis were tossed up to their death. Their assault got over and the area came under our control. I lifted your son's body, sir. He had forty-two bullets in him. As I held his head in my hands, his last breath came out with, 'Jai Hind!' in his lips."
"Is there anything else you would like to share, Officer?" Asked the Teacher...
"Thereafter, I sought permission of my superiors to have his coffin sent to your village but he refused. Though, I never had the privilege of putting these flowers at his feet, I have the privilege now to put them at your feet, sir.”
The Teacher's wife was crying softly into the corner of her pallu but the Teacher didn't cry.
He said...
“I had bought a shirt for my son to wear when he was due to come on leave. But unfortunately, he did not come home and he never will. So, I brought it to put it where he died. Now for a change, why don't you take it and wear it for him, beta?"
The name of the hero of Kargil was Captain Vikram Batra.
The name of his father is Shri Giridhari Lal Batra.
The name of his mother is Shrimoti Kamal Kanta.
P. S. :
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My Dear Friends,
These are our real life heroes and not the fake Bollywood heroes who put on heavy make up and run around the trees.
So, please share this to make others aware of the supreme sacrifices made by the real life heroes.
