Rachna Bisht Rawat - Kargil

I am the proud father of Kargil martyr Lieutenant (Lt) Vijyant Thapar (Robin), Vir Chakra (VrC), who laid down his life for his country at the age of twenty-two. Losing Robin, our young son, in the Kargil War, when he had the best years of his life ahead of him, has been a terrible personal loss for both my wife and me. It broke our hearts forever. However, it is also the greatest honour of our lives. Besides being Robins father, I am also an Army officer and I believe dying in battle for the country is a privilege. It is what all of us in uniform dream about, but very few get the opportunity. Our son was a fortunate man indeed.

When death comes is inconsequential, as come it must. What really matters is how and where it comes. Life is never measured in terms of its length but in terms of its depth or the intensity with which it is lived. What Robin and the other martyrs of Kargil achieved in their twenties was far greater than what many long insipid lives did. All of us who lost their children in this war, and the wars before, are so proud of them. I am sure the same applies to the young wives who lost their husbands and children who lost their fathers. We live with the loss and the pain, but we also live with our heads held high. We believe these men we loved so much shall continue to livetill we remember their sacrifice. The onus of keeping them alive rests on us, the ones left behind. The nation has the responsibility to remember them with reverence because that was the trust with which they fell. We must ensure that their stories are passed down the generations. Kargil: Untold Stories from the War is a great effort in that direction.

Every book is a monument; it enshrines an event, a person or a thought. This book immortalizes the spirit of the officers and soldiers of the Indian Army who made the Kargil War an expression of dedication to duty, indomitable spirit, bravery and sacrifice. It is a testimony to the courage, grit and determination of the young men to get on the objective, despite death staring them in the face. The stories epitomize all that makes the Indian Army great. It also chronicles the graceful and dignified acceptance of their loss and pain, by mothers and wives who lost their sons and husbands.

Whenever the story of Kargil is told, it shall be incomplete without paying homage to the steely resolve and cold courage of these young men who went to fight for their nation knowing that they might never return. Barely out of the academy, they fought against all odds, with single-minded devotion, and set new benchmarks in heroism. Their spirit and daring will be difficult to replicate.

Every young officer in every new batch that graduates from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and the Officers Training Academy (OTA) takes the Antim Pag only after taking the oath: I will observe and obey all the commands of the President of the Union of India and the commands of any officer set above me, even to the peril of my life. They have proved true to this oath time and again. Alongside they have their regimental pride to uphold.