How many of us really remember the significance of today? How many of us knew about what happened to our country 10 years ago??

Very few, 10 in 100 may be a high estimation.

The peaceful Kashmir valley, the abode of Himalayas, was terrified by the attack of militants. This was quite normal for our soldiers as they fight against them, almost every day. But they were unaware of the fact that this would turn out to be a great war with Pakistan. Pakistan supported these militants under currently and it sent its troops to the Kargil and Dras sectors to fight against our soldiers.

What can I do about this? I have an important meeting to attend. The soldiers are there to care forthe country. I am very busy with my works and appointments. This is the common attitude among most of us. This would normally be the perspective of a common man living in the safe and comfortable zones of India during the Kargil Days, when India was at war. But this was not the condition in Kashmir!

Each day was counted. Any thing might happen at any point of time. Any thing that they can do is to pray God to keep them safe and make our soldiers fight bravely against the Pak forces. This was what a common man in Kashmir was thinking in those days.

Where as, sacrificing their lives for the sake of our country was the only motto of our brave Indian soldiers. No matter how many bullets were shot, how many missiles were fired at them, yet they stand for us. They stay there and fight for us. The life of a soldier in Kashmir was not like a walk on ramp; rather it was like walking on a rope over Niagara Falls. And if the country is at war, the situation becomes even more critical.

Their life of a soldier during wartime would be to stand bravely against lots of riffles aimed at them, devastating missiles targeting them. They carry out numerous adventures to claim the hills one by one and making the militants & Pak forces go back to their homes and keep their ass shut. On claiming each mountain, they need to set up base camps, install communication equipment to report the higher authorities about their status. They take orders from higher officials and carry on tasks involve high risk factor. More over the tension builds up whenever a higher official comes to visit the camps as there is a possibility of an attack from the enemy. They travel continuously for hundred and sometimes thousands of kilometers in the Himalayan mountain ranges to back up the soldiers fighting ferociously in the crucial areas. They are not only responsible for defending our land but also the brothers and sisters of country, the people who are living in those areas of war. They need to protect the civilians and the media personnel. Here, the job done by the media must be appreciated. They provide us the facts and show us what was actually happening there. The soldiers were not done with this. Sometimes, they don’t sleep continuously for hours. They do night outs, constantly undertaking surveillance of the base camps. They need to live far away from their family for months where as we happily go out to shopping in malls, movies and to food courts, spending lavishly and enjoying happily. Did you ever think of what might be the situation of a soldier fighting from the base camps? Can you imagine under what kind of pressure they carry out their operations. They stand bravely in the fields rocked by missiles every now and then. Can you imagine what trouble they were facing there to keep us safe and sound? And here, we grumble and make non-sense statements on India if we are not able to travel in a crowded RTC bus. Don’t we do these many times? Yes, you and I have done that many times. But did we ever think that is this more difficult than the life of a soldier at war.

We watch Hollywood movies and keep on talking about the action sequences and fights by the hero. But do we really recognize what our real heroes have done for us deep in the mountains. No, we don’t. We recognize the hype the Hollywood producers create about the US army in the movies. But we don’t recognize our Indian Army in that manner. Rather, we pass out despondent comments about our own pride. When are we going to change? Is this what we give to our country? We are the citizens of tomorrow and we have every right to safeguard and defend our country in all possible ways. Don’t ever give out a low on our National Pride’s.

One thing I would like to mention in the end is “There is no other country in World like India. We are a land of unity in broadest possible diversity. Yes, we do have different opinions on different things, yet we stand together for our country.”

Jai Ho Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy….

We always love you and remember you in our hearts…

Yours Indian

P S: This post is for all those people, who have a low opinion about our Indian Army, to make them understand how the life of a soldier was during Kargil war days. The post is not intended to hurt anyone in any means. It’s just a tribute of my feelings to the great soldiers of our Nation.