On Tuesday, several things happened. Shahid Kapoor got ‘hitched’ (as he’d like to call it himself) and Twitter made sure a cake-faced picture of Mahendra Singh Dhoni trended wildly through the day.
In the midst of all the social media hullabaloo, however, India forgot a hero – Captain Vikram Batra, the valiant soldier who gave his life during the Kargil War of 1999.
On the morning of July 4, 1999, Captain Batra was one among the all-important lot of soldiers who ensured that the Indian flag was fluttering firmly over Tiger Hills. Operation Vijay had been successful; all of India celebrated.
It was one man who became the face of the Indian soldier at Kargil, one man whose words reverberate even today – ‘Yeh Dil Maange More...’ Captain Vikram Batra took the advertising slogan of Pepsi for himself and elevated it to a motto for life. The intrepid soldier lost his life on July 7, 16 years ago, while trying to save a fellow soldier.
Watch Vikram Batra during an interview with NDTV after his regiment captured Tiger Hills.
On his 16th death anniversary yesterday, his twin brother Vishal Batra took to Facebook to remind the nation of the man it had forgotten. In a heart-rending post titled ‘My brother Vikram’, the fallen hero’s brother shared details of the martyr that are little known even today.
The Quint brings you some lesser known facts about the late Captain Vikram Batra.
- He has an identical twin brother Vishal Batra, who is a few seconds younger to him.
- His nickname was Luv, while his twin’s nickname is Kush – a probable reference to Lord Rama’s two sons in Hindu mythology.
- Vikram and Vishal were given Rs 50 by their father for the school bus fare – Vishal would take the bus, while Vikram would choose to walk it. Captain Batra opted to spend that money in the canteen instead!
- The brothers made judicious use of their being identical twins during their school days – playing pranks on unsuspecting friends and family and impersonating each other.
- Captain Vikram Batra was a Table Tennis champion during his school days.
- Both brothers wanted to join the Indian Army. In fact, while Vishal was rejected thrice by the Services Selection Board, Captain Vikram Batra made it to the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on his first attempt.
- On December 6, 1997, Vikram took his oath as an Officer of the Indian Army. He had been commissioned into 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (JAK Rif).
- During the Kargil War in 1999, Captain Batra began to be called ‘Sher Shah’ of the Indian Army because of his fierce and offensive attack strategies. Even the enemy began to know him by that name.
- Captain Vikram Batra led the Indian Army to a decisive victory over the enemy at point 5140 (Tiger Hills) on June 19, 1999.
- Chankya ...its Shershah reporting!! We’ve captured a post! Yeh Dil Maange More! – Captain Vikram Batra told his commanding officer (CO) after securing point 5140 (Tiger Hills).
- In the early hours of July 7, 1999, he was commanding a mission to rescue an injured officer during an enemy counterattack. It is believed that during the rescue attempt, he pushed aside the injured officer saying, “You have children, step aside.” He was killed while trying to save his fellow officer.
- He received the Param Veer Chakra posthumously.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)