Captain Kaliya was for me what Karna from Mahabharat was for Apu from Pather Panchali.
The first man, who was not related to me in any way yet seemed to be drastically familiar, for whom I had cried. In many ways, visiting the Kargil War Memorial was paying a tribute to my childhood hero, Captain Saurabh Kaliya. Captain Kuliya’s murderers are yet to atone for the grave sin they had committed. The visuals of Barkha Dutt standing in the backdrop of tanks and army men and reporting from the battlefield ensued.ĭecades have passed.
I remember we had even switched to a cable TV network in order to follow news. We did this multiple times during the entire Kargil war period. We won’t mind even if we do not win the final match (against Australia).Īt school prayers, we had observed a few minutes of silence in memory of the martyrs. The unethical and barbaric acts of the Pakistan army added fuel to the long standing enmity between the countries and I wonder what would it take to overcome the strong emotion! Back then, a win against the Pakistan Cricket team seemed like a personal win and nothing has changed yet! I remember a discussion that went like India must win over Pakistan at the World Cup Cricket match. India and Pakistan were facing each other as nuclear enabled states, the first time such combat happened in human history!Īlso read: 5 days travel itinerary for Leh with offbeat day trips suggestions A large land grab was taking place at the northwest border of India forcing the original Indian border to be replaced with a liquid LOC, and that we were not safe and a nuclear bomb could kill everyone including my playmates and the cats I feed. While following reports on Captain Saurabh Kaliya’s death, I learnt a great deal on the Kargil War at a tender age. Or was it because they had endured the strenuous partition days and wanted me to have a first glimpse at the Universe, painted red and blue with love and envy simultaneously? I was at my grandparents home and they did not know what I was reading. I had no idea about the UN Geneva convention and POW’s rights back then, but I knew deep in my heart this was wrong on a whole different level! How can a human do this to another human? Not only was he killed as a Prisoner of War, his body was mutilated in the most brutal way and none of his fellow brother in arms were spared. I read the report once, twice, thrice, gasped and cried and reread and I was overwhelmed beyond words could ever describe. What an absolute futility! And the fact he was captured from his own land (Kaksar, a border area of India) adds to our collective frustration.Īlso read: Planning a trip to Kargil- a Complete Travel Guide! Just know he was only one year into the job, and was 22 years old at the time of his death. The six men on patrol were ambushed from their home ground and were subjected to grave torture, details of which I would rather not write. He along with five other soldiers were patrolling the beautiful mountains of Himalaya that stood on guard since millennia between enemy countries of South Asia, otherwise ready to annihilate each other at the drop of a hat.
While those visuals failed to startle me, Anandabazar came with a detailed report on the capture and death of Captain Saurabh Kaliya by the Pakistani army. Usually dad would hide the paper should a news like that gets printed. Many Mahishashur idols from Durgapuja pandals looked like that, or even worse. Truth be told, I was not even scared looking at the pictures. I learnt it was a suicide bomber from Srilanka. The first one was a headless body printed on the front page of Anandabazar Patrika.
I had not even finished being a decade old when I was introduced to the world of violence.