Martyred soldier and Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra’s father G L Batra says he had never imagined that his son would make him worthy of honour he received from people across the country for past twenty years. “He has elevated our status to that of proud parents of a Param Vir Chakra recipient,” wrote Batra in a foreword of a griping book on Kargil war by author-journalist Harinder Baweja.

A revised edition of edition of A Soldier's Diary: Kargil, The Inside Story (Roli Books) is set to be released on Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, 2018. Baweja has narrated the story of Kargil through the eyes of one of the front-line commanders. The new and revised edition comes with a new foreword by G L Batra, father of Capt. Vikram Batra, recipient of the highest gallantry award, Param Vir Chakra.

"We had never imagined that a son could make his parents worthy of the amount of honour we received from people across our country in the last twenty years after his martyrdom. He has elevated our status to that of proud parents of a Param Vir Chakra recipient, “ Batra wrote in his foreword recalling a reception he had received at Surat (Gujarat). “when I passed through the roads, stretching about 20 kilometres, on a chariot, about four lakh citizens of Surat were standing on both sides of the road and showering flower petals on us. It raised my emotions. With wet eyes, I thought of Vikram, and wished my son could have received this honour in his own life.” Batra said though he misses Vikram every moment, he draws gets comfort that his son is constantly with him spiritually. “The departure of a noble son is of course painful, but to bring forth such a son is also great luck. We will always be proud of him," Batra wrote.

Kargil war had begun on May 3, 1999 when local shepherds reported Pakistani intrusion in the Indian territory. Two entire brigades of Pakistani army regulars had infiltrated Indian territory and fortified themselves before the Indian army even realized they were there. In the initial stages, Indian side was poorly prepared in operational terms. However, by the morning of 8 July 1999, India had won Point 4875 but in the battle, lost 24 year old Braveheart Capt. Vikram Batra. With the conquest of Point 4875, the connectivity to Ladakh was secured and Indian army vehicles could move freely on the Srinagar–Leh Highway.



Batra recalled when Vikram’s body was brought home, it was excruciating. “With tears coursing down her cheeks, my wife said, ‘No parent can see the dead body of their young son. Our son had captured three peaks, he had taken the nation by storm, but suddenly he was no more. Yet, when God gives you a mortal blow, he gives you the strength to cope with the grief. Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed four sons for the country. Maybe there was some reason that God gave me twins – one had been marked for the country and one for me.’

Batra reveals in his foreword that one of Vikram’s friends had told him to be careful since war had begun. Vikram had however, replied, ‘Don’t worry. I will either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it.’  Batra said Vikram fulfilled both his promises. “He raised India’s victorious tricolour at the height of 17,000 feet when he captured Point 5140. Later, when he fell fighting for the country at Point 4875, his body was brought back home wrapped in our national flag. Such was the bravery and patriotism of our son Vikram," Batra recalls poignantly.

Author Harinder Baweja is currently a senior editor with Hindustan Times. Over years, she has earned a reputation as a fearless, committed reporter through her prolonged coverage of conflict zones. Her experience of covering the Kashmir crisis had given her access to a wide range of sources, particularly among the army units that were sent to Kargil. She covered the sharp, short war for India Today magazine, using her enviable range of sources to compile a definite account of the Kargil war.

Written in the form of a diary, it offers the first really detailed and exclusive account of the events that led to the invasion and the subsequent battle to retake the peaks occupied by the intruders. Even after almost two decades, the book is still the most accurate account of the many Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
[Journalist-author Rasheed Kidwai is ORF visiting fellow]

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