At present, Wg Cdr Varthaman is serving at an IAF base in Rajasthan.
'The Pakistanis knew there was only one route up and they could take direct aim at us as we climbed up.' 'They knew they could kill us.'
Woman cadet Rekha Singh, wife of late Naik Deepak Singh who made the supreme sacrifice during the Galwan clashes and was awarded Vir Chakra posthumously, was commissioned into the Indian Army on Saturday following completion of her training from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.
'5465 was over 17,000 feet -- our eyes were out of the sockets by the time we got to the top.' 'We had not eaten in 2-3 days and climbed in extremely difficult terrain.' 'I was there for 5-6 days, but had to be evacuated because I started vomiting blood.'
'This isn't just the story of Shaitan Singh. It's the story of the 120 soldiers who stood with him.' 'Their bravery and their sacrifice it deserves to be known.'
Honorary Captain Bana Singh won the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest ranking gallantry award, for recapturing a Pakistani post on the Siachen Glacier. Living a retired life in a quiet village in Jammu & Kashmir, he makes you feel that his act of phenomenal courage was part of a soldier's day at work.
Major Chewang Rinchen became the youngest recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra. He not only seized the highest post ever captured, but also liberated an area of 800 sq km from Pak occupied Kashmir, the largest area captured in the 1971 war with hardly any supplies and no artillery support. Claude Arpi salutes this brave Indian soldier.
Hameed was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously for his gallantry in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, when he single-handedly blew off five Pakistani tanks.
To share your Father's Day story (Father's Day will be celebrated on Sunday, June 16), just mail us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject: Father's Day) along with your name, the place where you live, your father's name and picture and your message about him.
Sriram Raghavan has signed Amitabh Bachchan's grandson for his war drama, Ikkis.
A bust of Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra was unveiled in Himachal Pradesh's Palampur on Wednesday, Army officials said.
At a time when nationalism is a much-debated topic and the Armed forces' sacrifices are being ignored, a 'Wall of Heroes' at schools and colleges across the country to inspire the youth is a must, says Tarun Vijay.
India's rich cultural diversity, military prowess, economic progress and the strides it has taken in sectors, such as science and technology, were on full display at the 76th Republic-Day celebrations on Kartavya Path on Sunday, in the presence of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
'Sepoy K Ashuli displayed nerves of steel, exemplary courage, fearlessness under enemy fire, unparalleled devotion to duty and camaraderie of the highest order in keeping with the finest traditions of the Indian Army.'
'Unlike the surgical strikes and the Balakot air strikes across the LoC, we have gone further inside Pakistan and raised the bar of escalation.'
Kargil war hero and Vir Chakra awardee Satpal Singh works as a traffic constable in Punjab's Bhawanigarh town. He was a part of the Indian Army's Operation Vijay. He was an important figure in the Battle of Tiger Hill which took place between India and Pakistan during the Kargil war in 1999.
The name plates of Lieutenant Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa, Colonel N J Nair, Havildar Hangpan Dada and Subedar Joginder Singh were unveiled at a ceremony in Kolkata.
For all those auto enthusiasts who thought Mahindra have only been manufacturing Jeeps and trucks in the '90s, Timeless Mahindra offers plenty of interesting surprises, discovers Rajesh Kareka/Rediff.com.
"The Modi government's approach to the entire crisis could be described as DDLJ: Deny, Distract, Lie and Justify," Ramesh said.
In a ceremony on Monday on the occasion of Parakram Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named the 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman and Nicobar after Param Vir Chakra awardees.
India will showcase its military prowess and rich cultural heritage on Kartavya Path in New Delhi on January 26 to mark the 76th Republic Day. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be the chief guest at the event, which will also see the participation of a marching contingent and a band contingent from Indonesia. The theme of the parade is 'Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas', focusing on the platinum jubilee of the enactment of the Constitution. The parade will feature a number of cutting-edge defense platforms, including BrahMos, Pinaka and Akash, as well as the Army's Battle Surveillance System 'Sanjay' and DRDO's surface-to-surface tactical missile 'Pralay'.
Lance Naik Albert Ekka, Param Vir Chakra, was only 28 when he made the supreme sacrifice for the Motherland.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday hosted a high tea for 1965 war veterans in the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex as the country celebrated the golden jubilee of the war with Pakistan.
Ahead of Republic Day, the Indian Army announced on Thursday the addition of two new features to this year's parade: battlefield surveillance systems and a Defebce Research and Development Organisation tableau showcasing Pralay, short-range ballistic missiles.
Glimpses of the solemn ceremony Shaurya Sandhya ahead of the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas, which commemorates India's victory in the 1999 Kargil War at the Kargil War Memorial, Dras, in Kargil, Ladakh.
Family members of Dalit icons B R Ambedkar, Jagjivan Ram, Kanshi Ram and other 'prominent people' belonging to the scheduled castes are among those invited for the January 22 consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, according to sources.
Sidharth Malhotra chose to celebrate his birthday on January 16 by showing the world the first look of his new film, Shershaah.
Decorated with a Vir Chakra for leading an attack that destroyed four tanks, Risaldar Ayub Khan shared a name with the Pakistani president who ordered the invasion of India in 1965. India's Ayub came from a family of soldiers and made his country proud.
'Anglo-Indians have played a significant role at the forefront, meeting every challenge to the security of the motherland.' A fascinating excerpt from Barry O'Brien's The Anglo-Indians: A Portrait of a Community.
Ahead of India's 69th Independence Day, a special comic book is all set to be released this week chronicling the life, valour and sacrifice of 21 awardees of the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military decoration.
A bust of Captain Vikram Batra Param Vir Chakra was unveiled at the Palampur military station by his parents Mr G L Batra and Mrs Kamal Kanta Batra on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
Glimpses from the At Home reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Republic Day.
'The hunt is on to gather the names and achievements of other soldiers, war heroes and freedom fighters.'
In a major decision, the government on Wednesday hiked the monetary allowance to gallantry award winners of the Armed Forces by over 100 per cent. The recipients of the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest gallantry award for bravery, will now receive Rs 3,000 per month as against Rs 1,500 at present. Similarly, the winners of the Ashok Chakra, the nation's highest peace time gallantry award, will now receive an allowance of Rs 2,800 per month.
'Indian Army officers always lead their men into battle or combat. Pakistani officers are seldom seen at the front.'
'Before going to battle, Captain Anuj Nayyar gave me the engagement ring and photograph of his fiance.' 'I told him, "Why don't you keep it? It will motivate you to fight'.' 'He said he did not want the photograph to fall in the dirty hands of the enemy.' 'I wondered why he was giving it to me. Did he feel he would not return?'
The MiG-21's sharp silhouette and supersonic roar will live on in the memories of those who flew it, those who maintained it, and those who watched it streak across the sky as a symbol of India's strength, asserts IAF veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
Insiyah Vahanvaty continues our special series on the ex-servicemen agitating for One Rank One Pension at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
Fifty years ago this day, October 23, Subedar Joginder Singh began the battle of his life. On learning that Joginder Singh was a Param Vir Chakra awardee, the People's Liberation Army, in a mark of respect for which the Chinese are not renowned, repatriated his ashes with full military honours. No tribute can be greater than an avowal of valour by the enemy. M P Anil Kumar pays tribute to one of India's brave heroes.
