18 years after Pakistan beat a retreat, the Kargil War is still fresh in our memories. Though a fair amount of information about what unfolded in the Himalayan peaks was relayed to us by the media, it was only a bite-sized account of what actually happened.
On Kargil Vijay Divas, I spoke to Colonel Rama who led a platoon of 411 Parachute Field Company during the war, eventually losing a limb in the operation.
It is 9.55 pm and I am waiting at a neighbourhood Barista in Pune to meet Colonel Rama, who a friend had recently befriended running at the Pune Half Marathon. He shows up with a hearty “how could I say no to a fellow Bombay Sappers daughter?”, charming me instantly, and settles into a chair in front of me.
He orders himself a cup of green tea, extolling its virtues and recommending I get the same, and then tells me: “Challenges are not in the war. They come afterwards.”
"Our Convoys Would Move at Night With Headlights Switched Off”
Commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Indian Army in the year 1996, Lt Rama volunteered to be a part of the paratroopers. After his training in 1998, he was summoned for the Kargil war in the summer of 1999.
We were all hoping we would get a chance to serve the country, and we did.
Tiger Hill is a formidable but majestic mountain range across the Drass and Mushkoh Valley. Lt Rama, with his men, were inducted by air into Leh – from where they were sent to Mushkoh valley.
There were several bombings in the vicinity as the convoy moved from Leh. Tiger Hill also overlooked the Leh-Mushkoh highway and was a vital link. As soon as the Pakistani forces would see a convoy on the highway, they would start bombing it. As a result, our convoys would move mostly at night with their headlights switched off and two soldiers would jog ahead – occasionally flashing torches to light the edges of the roads.
In Mushkoh valley, Indian troops had been keeping a close watch on the movement of the enemy and Lt Rama and his team was providing engineering support for evicting infiltrators from the Indian bunkers.
"Every Kilo of Load on Our Backs Mattered”
Lt Rama recalls how he and his troop of men, and the 7 Para Battalion marched towards point 4700, carrying bags full of ammo and ready-to-eat food packets comprising poori-aachar and shakkarpare. The climb was steep and the terrain difficult. It was bitterly cold even in the summers.
The snow-clad virgin peak and slopes of Tiger Hill were marauded by Pakistani infiltrators. They had occupied major vantage points.
As we climbed higher and got closer to the enemy, our movement was restricted to only night time, in the cover of darkness. The route was treacherous and at some places all we could use were ropes. Every kilo of load on our backs mattered; as a result, some food packets were discarded in favour of more ammunition. The soldiers needed all the ammo they could carry.
On their way up, there was heavy firing.
As the enemy opened fire against intruders holed up in bunkers, Lt Rama saw a close buddy of his shot down by a bullet and disappearing into a ditch. He was so moved by the loss that he inched his way along a high-face rock – where a fall meant instant death – to retrieve the body. He volunteered to carry the body back to base.
Capturing the Peaks
It took them a few days to reach point 4700. “It was the 11th of July,” Lt. Rama reminisces. “Capturing this peak was important. This was the vantage point for the enemy to fire in the Mushkoh Valley.”
After point 4700, the team was ordered to move ahead and occupy point 4905m. This seemed easy as there was a major agreement on the 16th of July between India and Pakistan that clarified that the enemy was going to back off.
But even as the enemy forces receded from point 4905, they planted several mines along the route. Our soldiers were caught unawares.
Accompanied by his men, Lt Rama was given the task of disarming the mines.
In a span of 36 hours we managed to disarm 161 mines and sanitised the area for the infantry! However, we soon got orders to march to point 4925 for the flag meeting.
After opening a route free of mines for the infantry upto 4925, a team of Sappers along with Lt Rama, continued to disarm the remaining mines at the previous point 4905.
It was 5.30 pm and it had become dark. While disarming the mines, one of the mines accidentally blew up and Lt Rama lost his limb.
Agonised by the pain, he limped back a few metres to take cover, as the area was completely exposed to enemy firing. Lt Rama sat in a pool of blood as his boys helped bandage his near-severed leg.
A Life After War
In a couple of hours, choppers were sent and Lt Rama was flown back to Srinagar. As he flew above the terrain, he realised that on one side was Mushkoh valley where the action was unfolding – something he desperately wanted to be a part of – and on the other side, was his life that was soon going to change.
I found myself wondering – would I be able to walk or even enjoy a game of football?
India emerged victorious on 26 July but today, 18 years hence, Lt Col Rama is happy that he is fitter than most men and can not only play football but participate in a half marathon!
I always knew I wanted to be a part of the forces, ever since I was a child. I consider myself fortunate that I got a chance to serve the nation when it mattered the most. Else, I would have nursed the biggest regret.
(A freelance food and fashion blogger, Pranjali Bhonde Pethe wants to get people closer to their favourite food and style through her blog, moipalate. Email her at pranjali.bhonde@gmail.com and follow her on @moipalate.)
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