Still clearly in a state of shock, Kadam's father Shashikant speaks as though by rote. "I am told that he killed a commander... a mastermind. In that case I am really proud of my son. It is the equivalent of killing more than a 100 men. And the kind of support that has been pouring in from all parts of the country also shows that people are against terrorism in the name of religion," he said in one breath.
Recalling that Kadam was soon due for his next promotion, he said, "We never planned his life. God decided what happens. He was born to do a job in the world, and now that he is gone, I think he has fulfilled the specific reason for which God wanted him to be in this earth."
The village from which the Kadams hail from -- Sarambal -- is called the warrior village by the locals. 80 per cent of the homes in the village have at least one member in the army.
"The village has a memorial for the martyrs of the First World War. There is a plaque in there that says 'From this village 52 men went to the Great War, 1914-1919. Of these six gave up their lives'. That is why even when the army wanted to perform Manish's last rites in Delhi with full honours, I stood firm and opted for a simple funeral at our village. I wanted my ancestors to bless his soul," he said.
Part of Lt Col Kadam was shaped by values that his father kept planting in him throughout his life. "When he passed out of NDA, his focus was only on fighting for the country. I had to tell him that though he might be good, intelligent and powerful, his main job is to take care of his subordinates. He should try to understand their difficulties and keep his problems aside, I had to tell him," Shashikanth said.
Image: Locals pay their last respects to Lt Col Kadam. Inset: (right) Shashikant Kadam with a poster of his son. (left) The memorial for WWI heroes
Also read: The soldier who won India's first Param Vir Chakra
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