A.I.R. strike of a ‘masculine’ against the crop

- Eyesight-Hershal Pushkarna

- An Unknown Chapter of the Kargil War: Twenty-two years ago today, a glorious tale of the Indian Army blowing the trumpet.

On November 19, Pakistani troops secretly occupied our military outposts in the mountains of Kargil, Dras and Batalik in Kashmir. When the news of the move reached a local shepherd, our military officers mistakenly considered the intruders terrorists. On May 6, 19, after the end of the winter of 19, five Indian Army officers approached their (abandoned winter) outpost and were killed by Pak soldiers. The incident came to light a few days later and before any action could be taken by India, Pakistan launched heavy shelling on areas like Kargil, Dras, Batalik, Tololing. To respond to the enemy, our army undertook a mission called 'Operation Victory', the first day of which was June 2, 19. Exactly twenty-two years ago today. Numerous articles and books have been written on this historic day about the war that took place on that military front. But the present story is of an unknown 'man' whose contribution has to be noted while not writing the story of the Kargil war.

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A unique battle had already begun on the land front between the two countries' armies on the ground. In the war of words played with words instead of weapons, on one side was Radio Pakistan, on the other side was our All India Radio / AIR. Radio Pakistan used to broadcast a rumored news packet every few times with the intention of demoralizing the Indian Army personnel deployed in strategic areas like Kargil, Dras and Batalik near LoC of Kashmir. For example, "Today, Pakistan's clever sepoys shot down an Indian Air Force helicopter in the sky ... ... Pakistani artillery has forced the enemy to retreat in Kargil, Dras and Batalik, calling the enemy's ranks."

Such propaganda of Radio Pakistan could hurt the morale of our soldiers as well as the locals. But not only did the All India Radio / AIR station in Leh and Kargil refute the crop lies, but also the actual ground report of the military front.

According to the copybook system of war, every soldier always tries to break the enemy's spine by destroying important targets like bridges, fuel depots, arsenals, railway tracks and radio stations in the enemy territory. Pakistan's military was also following the traditional copybook strategy. So the Pak artillery targeted the AIR station in Kargil town, which revealed Radio Pakistan's Dushpra Char poll. His howitzer barrel, mounted on the other side of the towering peaks of the Himalayas, fired artillery shells at Kargil's AIR base. Luckily the target was not fished. But if a bullet hit the main building of the station, it was certain that not a single employee would survive. Employees of the Kargil radio station, who did not want to live under the sword of death and the dripping sword at any time, left work and went to safety. On June 6, 19, the station collapsed and radio broadcasts stopped.

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The news reached a woman named Sering Angamo Shunu in Leh town, about 30 km from Kargil. As the Kargil-Leh station of All India Radio was in-charge, he immediately reached Kargil and decided to reopen the AIR station. They were going to take a suicidal step, as they had to drive from Alpha-1 on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway to reach Kargil, on which Pakistani intruders were staring. Occasional enemy attacks on our military fleet passing through this route. Passing through the 'minefield' of National Highway Alpha-1 when the artillery was firing here was like playing a game of death.

છતાંAnd yet Sering Angamo Shunu decided to risk his life. The mood of this 'masculinity' is expressed in a sentence he said: 'When a human being does not think about himself ... then he can do something for others.'

With strong morale, Sering's limbs fell off. Luckily Sukhrup reached Kargil, but there was a problem waiting for him. It so happened that a shell of a Pak cannon targeting Kargil exploded near the AIR base. The blast not only disrupted the power supply but also damaged the generator. What to do now? There was no question of radio broadcasting without a power supply. The time of the special bulletin at 5 pm was approaching as Radio Pakistan was routinely airing 'AIR' against the lies spread.

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When the stage of a fierce battle is set, when the deafening roar is heard and there is chaos all around, then the brain of the stagnant Varsakti will be killed. But Sering Ango Shunu maintained mental stability. When no mechanic was found to be able to overhaul the off-generator, he approached the Indian Land Brigade Commander instead of resigning.

Special forces called Angi Nears, Sappers Endu Miners along with armed soldiers are always deployed on that front. The team carries out tasks such as locating mines in the ground, diffusing them, erecting barricades, constructing trenches, constructing temporary bridges, repairing damaged vehicles as well as devices such as radiosets, etc.

Some of the army engineers present on the Kargil front immediately rushed to the All India Radio station and even turned on the generator within a few hours. It is now possible to have a radio broadcast at five o'clock in the evening. But the question was who broadcasts? All the staff of the Kargil radio station were evacuated. As the station was in charge, Sering Angamo Shunu took over the responsibility of broadcasting. They went into the broadcast room alone, despite the surrounding landmines. A few hours ago, Radio Pakistan responded to the fragmentary (and false) statements issued with 'AIR' strike.

Don't stop there. In a conversation with the Ladakh Brigade Commander, Sering Angamo Shunu learned that the Lashkar-e-Taiba did not have enough force to supply arms and food to the Indian Army, which was fighting in the high mountains of the Himalayas on various fronts. Sering Angamo Shunu decided to send Ladakhi Yuvadhan to help the army. Through All India Radio's Kargil and Leh stations, he repeatedly appealed, "India's grandchildren are risking their lives for the safety of all of us." The slightest change in this favor can be done with a little help from them. The army is in dire need of troops to carry weapons to the mountains. Therefore, through the radio, I humbly request the mothers of the whole of Ladakh to send their sons over the age of 18 to serve Mother India for a few days.

It has to be said that Ladakhi mothers and their promising sons or Sering Angamo took the call of Shunu. In a short time, 200 youths between the ages of 18 and 35 gathered at the huge polo ground in Leh Nagar, including a 16-year-old special. Name: Ste Nzidhan Jaydun alias Ricky and son of Sering Angamo Shunu! All the youths were recruited by the Brigade Commander of Ladakh in the so-called Pioneers Corps of Khushkindal.

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Climbing the steep slopes of the mountains and reaching an altitude of 15-15 thousand feet is a daunting task in itself. It is true that a drop of physical energy is depleted while climbing, but due to lack of oxygen in the atmosphere, breathing becomes frequent and the heart, which is beating at an abnormally fast rate, has to eat porridge every few steps to relax. Sitting here, we can't even imagine how difficult it is to carry a load of ten to twelve kilograms of armor on the back when the body feels unbearable. On the other hand, the Ladakhi youth enlisted in the Army's Pioneer Corps showed incredible physical vigor. The average young man in the army could carry ten kilograms of equipment and food and climb the mountains of Kargil, while the Ladakhi youth could carry at least twenty kilograms and climb mountains without eating long porridge!

There were reasons why the youth of Ladakh proved to be more Superman than Man. For one thing, they have been accustomed to living in a low-oxygen environment for tens of thousands of feet above sea level since childhood. Second, the lungs of Ladakhis are slightly larger than ours. Moreover, the blood in their body is 1.5 liters more than the average and the blood cells in that blood are nowhere more than the average! Another fact is that the heart, which carries oxygenated blood throughout the body, is 90 percent more powerful than we are. The miracle of these biological features or reaching the mountain outposts 12-15 thousand feet high did not seem particularly laborious to the youth of Ladakh.

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On the one hand, the local youths were providing our army with much needed food, water and weapons, while on the other hand, through the All India Radio, Sering Angamo Shunu continued the 'AIR' strike in the war of attachment with Pakistan. He never cared about the artillery shelling on Kargil. On the contrary, in the sense of national service, more and more youths kept calling on the radio to come forward. The result? Patriotism erupted throughout Ladakh. Sering Angamo Shunu's broadcasts highlighted the virtue of adventure in the people. They were so eager to do something for their homeland that in a single week, 300 young men enlisted in the army's Pioneer Corps.

The spirit of patriotism was not limited to the boys, but deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people. An example: In the mountains of the Batalik region of Ladakh, many of us were giving a scathing answer to the enemy. About 100 Ladakhis were taken to a small village called Bema to deliver their weapons, which led to a problem with their accommodation. The farmers of the village then came together. Each of them tidied up and allotted some of their fields. Lashka Ray pitched a tent on that land, so the young men got a place to stay.

The credit for this as well as many other pleasant incidents like this goes to Sering Angamo Shunu who not only cut the negativity of crop misrepresentation with the 'AIR' strappy broadcast of positive facts, but also unleashed the patriotism of the Ladakhi people from time to time. "Our army received the strategic support of the local youth in the inaccessible mountains of Ladakh," said Chief of the Indian Army, who won a landslide victory in the Kargil war on July 6, 19. The Indian Army will always be grateful to all of them.

It is a pity to read all this today, but how many Indians know the 200 anonymous young men who stood behind the Indian Army in the Karung War? The patriots who played a decisive role in the war behind the scenes of fame have made history and made history themselves. ■