Others/Interview

When did the thought of writing a book first come to your mind?

After the Kargil war was over, I went to the location in Dras where Vijayant attained martyrdom. The ground was littered with empty cases of the bullets he and his company commander Major P Acharya had fired, in a fierce and determined battle with the enemy. When I heard the account of the bravery he and his comrades had displayed to capture Knoll, I was very moved, both as a father and as a soldier.

I went to the same place every year, almost 20 times, and spent a lot of time meeting his Commanding Officer and fellow officers. There was never a formal intention to write a book. It evolved over time. For the past 18-and-a-half years, I’ve been penning down the reality of what happened and the emotions attached to it.

These movements and incidents caused a big storm in my heart, and I started recording everything about this historic battle, with anecdotes from his childhood and accounts from his team mates. In time, I had enough material to write a book. I completed it in one year, three months back.

Why was the book released in lockdown?

The soft launch happened online in May, but I wanted to release my book on Kargil Diwas in the loving memory of my son. So, the mall helped me promote it through the campaign.

How was your relationship with him?

He was the eldest, so he enjoyed my special love and affection. Since it was his desire to join the armed forces, I guided him a lot and had to be firm with him to attain that goal. I helped him to take the lead from a young age in his physical fitness and overall education. While I was the determined parent who used to get him to do things, his mother gave him emotional stability.

Any memories from Vijyant’s childhood that are close to your heart?

These small moments find a mention in the book. Like all children, he was naughty. But, army life is different from civil life. I recall an incident when we were in Pathankot together while the rest of the family was back in Meerut. He would have been in Class 6 or 7.

I used to go for PT in the morning, and one such morning, when I returned from my PT and was removing my shoes, I noticed something peculiar. He was eating his breakfast, and in front of him was a bottle of rum, half filled with milk and a green snake in it. I was shocked to see that and asked him, and he responded he was trying to feed the snake some milk as it might be hungry. Had I not seen this, the snake would have literally drowned in the milk of human kindness.

Did you read any similar books before writing this one?

I read a lot about this war that affected two countries and so many families. I have read each and every book on Kargil. I also read Pakistani books on Kargil. There is a book, Yeh Khamoshi Kab Tak, but that is in Urdu, and I could not read it. But, whenever there was a discussion on Pakistani channels on the book, I would hear it.

What does Kargil Vijay Diwas mean to you?

It is almost a pilgrimage to me. While others go to religious places like Amarnath Yatra, I go on a yatra mainly to Dras to pay homage to my son, and his comrades, who laid down their lives and sacrificed so much for the nation. I spend some quiet moments there with my son at 16,000 ft.

A small mandir has been built by the soldiers of various units and we do a puja there. That is how we celebrate the day. This year, because of the pandemic, all I could do was remember the bravehearts and their sacrifice from here.