Tilak with this soil: A handful of battlefield soil becomes precious

- At a glance - Hershal Pushkarna

- 9/9/1999 - 4/7/2021: Father Left-Colonel Suri's heartfelt 'visit' with Captain Suri, son who passed away 22 years ago

- To the family of the martyred grandsons of the Indian Army who lived up to the motto of 'Balidan Param Dharma', Mana Balidan Ki Dharti is like gold

November 2, 19. Three months had passed since the end of the fierce Kargil war against Pakistan. Our tricolor began to fly over the skyscrapers of Kargil, Dras and Batalik regions. Seeing the strong grip of the Indian Army on these strategic areas, the enemy could not play any tricks there again. Therefore, the Pak commanders, who could not cope with the bitterness of defeat in the Kargil war, targeted other areas of Kashmir. At one point, in the Gulmarg area, near the Line of Control, there was an army outpost called 'Foolad', which was attacked by Pak troops on November 8, 19.

Captain Gurjindathar Singh was on duty under the guidance of an officer named Suri when he went to the 'Failad' outpost located at an altitude of 11,500 feet above sea level. Born on July 6, 19 in Ambarala, Captain Suri's blood must have contained more adventure than hemoglobin, as his father, Lieutenant-General Tejprakash Suri, had served in the Indian Army for a long time. . Captain Gurjindbhar's grandfather Subedar Harbaksh Singh fought in World War II on behalf of the British Indian Army. He also fought in the first Indo-Pak war of 18 and had lost his life in the war against China on October 19.

On November 8, 19, the Pakistani army started firing mortar shells and heavy machine guns at the 'Foolad' outpost, while Captain Gurjinder Suri retaliated by responding to the enemy. Accompanied by some comrades, they advanced towards the crop bunker and stabbed two soldiers. The crop machine gun stopped exploding, but unfortunately Captain Gurjinderfar himself was injured when he went to close the muzzle of the Kalamukhi gun. Bullets fired from the enemy fell into his hands. The blood spurted, but instead of paying attention, Captain Suri stepped towards the enemy bunker. If the protagonist himself does not stand firm on the battlefield, his comrades lose the zeal to fight and get on their knees — and that situation is dangerous for any army.

Capt. Gurjinder Suri approached the enemy, following the unwritten system of the Indian sepoy on the battlefield, but did not follow in the footsteps of the Indian sepoy. Two Honda grenades were picked up, the pins pulled out and aimed at the bunker. Within seconds, two explosions occurred. Some of the enemies of the bunker were killed in the massive explosion. Capt Na Suri himself appeared to carry out his death warrant after surviving. He silenced two more Pakistani soldiers with his rifle.

The battle was now on India's side. The wounded Captain Suri and his comrades were forcing the enemy hiding in the bunker to retreat. An unexpected event occurred there. A rocket-propelled grenade fired from the enemy landed next to Captain Suri and exploded. A flaming metal spear from a grenade pierced the captain's body. Seeing the bleeding, he had to be given immediate medical treatment, but Captain Suri did not approve of leaving the front for treatment. With a firm resolve to fight to the last drop of blood, he remained steadfast and, as a playboy commander, led his fellow soldiers. Captain Suri's anointing of the Nagadhiraja Himalayas did not go unnoticed. Our warriors thwarted the enemy's attack. He not only called for the elimination of a total of 12 enemies, but also erased the name of the Pak outpost.

In this case, our party had a Khuwari number of 8, one of whom was named Captain Gurjindlar Singh Suri! At the age of only 35, he dedicated his life to the country. Captain Suri embellished the system of compulsion and patriotism established by his predecessors like Paramvir Major Somnath Sharma, Paramvir Piru Singh, Paramvir Major Shaitan Singh. For this bravery, the army awarded him the posthumous Mahavir Chakra.

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Years passed. The vessels of time heal deep wounds. Of course, time itself often refreshes a healed wound. Something similar happened to Captain Gurjinder Suri's parents. On November 28, 19, after nearly twenty-two years, the Indian Army built a smear on the land where Juvanjodh's son passed away. The inauguration ceremony was officiated by Lieutenant-Colonel Tejprakash Suri, father of Captain Gurjinder Suri. The date was fixed from 4th July which was the birth date of the martyred Captain Suri. Lieutenant-Colonel Tejprakash Suri, a resident of Mohali, Punjab, was taken to the 'Foolad' outpost near the Line of Control (LoC) on July 4, 2021 with full military honors.

Lieutenant-Colonel Suri, Jeff's age, had to make some climbs to reach the outpost at an altitude of 11,500 feet above sea level. But as soon as he reached the top, his tiredness turned into a feeling of pride. There was a black granite plaque on the small ridge, on which Lieutenant-Colonel Tejprakash Suri was moved to see the name of the martyr's son engraved.

On the one hand there was a sense of sonhood as a father as the twenty-two year old wound healed. On the other hand, the brave Indian officer was brave for his adventure. Between sensuality and heroism he probably kept the balance as he did. But the unveiling of the plaque in the presence of the army's chief officers shook even the hardest-hearted father from the bottom of his heart. It so happened that a small kalash was handed over to Lieutenant-Colonel Tejprakash Suri by the General Officer Commanding / GoC. In Kalash was the soil on which Capt. Na Gurjindar Singh Suri passed away on November 8, 19. The price of a handful of clay is what we understand it to be, but it was invaluable to Father Lieutenant-Colonel Suri. Before taking Kalash in his hands, the retired soldier stood in a disciplined upright pose, saluting the sacrificial soil with his right hand and only then accepted Kalash as a father. At the age of twenty-two, the father-son 'reunion' took place, for which a handful of clay became the occasion.

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Another occasion is the family of Lieutenant Saurabh Kalia, who made the seemingly insignificant soil of the battlefield precious. Left on May 15, 19. Kalia, accompanied by five companions, went to take up position at our military outpost called 'Bajrang' at a height of 12.5 feet in the Kaksar region of Ladakh. As he approached the post, he was shocked. Inside the Indian outpost, Pakistani infiltrators set up camp. (The incident took place a few days before the Kargil war broke out.) Lieutenant Saurabh Kalia and his comrades took armed action to thwart the infiltrators. But due to lack of sufficient numbers, they were finally captured by the enemy. Pakistani troops inflicted inhumane treatment on Lieutenant Saurabh Kalia for days. He finally handed over his mutilated body to India on June 5, 19.

The twenty-two-year-old son who fought his final battle on the land was killed by his clay father Ann. That. For Kalia and mother Vijaya Kalia was probably a memento as well as a venerable ‘Charanamrut’. So after the end of the Kargil war, he requested the army to sacrifice the soil of the 'Bajrang' outpost. Today, the family of a martyred officer named Lieutenant Amit Bhardwaj also owns half of the sacred soil. When Lieutenant Saurabh Kalia went missing from the 'Bajrang' post on May 15, 19, Lieutenant Amit Bhardwaj reached 'Bajrang' with 40 men to search for him. The enemy rained bullets on them and surrounded them from three sides. For about an hour and a half, there was a commotion, during which Lieutenant Bhardwaj and three others were killed.

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There are many other such cases explaining the greatness of the clay of sacrifice, but the last is the story of a martyred family from Ahmedabad whose young grandson died fighting against Pakistan on the Siachen front. The year was 18 and the month was February. The harsh winter of Siachen reached its climax. Even though the temperature was below zero degrees Celsius, our Sherdils were on duty in the high mountains.

Ahmedabad Captain Nilesh Soni was present at a mountain outpost called 'Chandan' as part of 'Operation Meghdoot' launched by India against Pakistan. On February 18, 19, Capt. Sonny noticed an enemy movement some distance from the outpost. Probably the enemy's patrol detachment 'Chandan' came out in the sense of spying on Postau. Whatever it was, Captain Sonny, seeing a cloud of danger forming, alerted the outposts and ordered firing. Bullets pierced the calm atmosphere of the Siachen glaciers. After a while, the explosion of artillery began to shake the atmosphere. The cruel game of ritual or a bullet fired from the enemy's cannon accidentally exploded on the mountain a few feet high from the 'sandalwood' posts. Tons of snow fell down the mountainside following the blast and returned to Captain Nilesh Soni and his comrades. Jambaz grandsons of 'Chandan' Postath went to Podhi forever with a white snow coat.

Three and a half decades have passed since this tragic event. Yet the Soni family has not forgotten their heartfelt martyr Saput. Near Anjali Char Rasta in Ahmedabad, he has erected a memorial to the martyred Captain Nilesh Soni (at his own expense), where various patriotic programs are held from time to time. According to Captain Soni's eldest brother, the Soni family has ordered the 'sandalwood' postal soil on the land on which Captain Soni Siachen died. The writer had the opportunity to visit the Sacrifice Land of Captain Na Soni during his 11-day visit to Siachen. Not everyone gets such benefits. Hence the idea: a handful of 'sandalwood' soil is coming to Ahmedabad from Siachen's sacrificial land, so the state government should keep it in a public place as a memorial. By doing so, the common people get the benefit of the vision of Siachen's Virbhumi sitting here, 'Tilak from this soil, this earth is a sacrifice!' People understand the essence of the line accurately and Captain Nilesh Soni will remain a truly immortal young man for the next generation.