"We did not bathe or shave for three months and on several occasions quenched our thirst by eating ice," recalled braveheart Naik Praveen on the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas Saturday.
Twenty years ago, over 50 days in the summer of 1999, the Indian Army fought some of the toughest battles in the annals of military history to evict the Pakistan army from Kargil. The battle to recapture Tiger Hill was a major turning point in the Operation Vijay campaign, points out Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
The visiting personnel will also ascertain difficulties, if any, being faced by the "families of our war heroes", he said.
'Searching for the target with bare eyes was like searching for the needle in the haystack, but due to the technology, we had a clear picture of the seven tents perched against the rocky background on our scopes.'
'There is a sense of achievement but it has come at a great cost.'
Yogendra Singh Yadav survived 15 bullets while capturing Tiger Hill in the Kargil War and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest award for gallantry. On the eve of Independence Day, the 32-year-old soldier relives that night when he and his fellow commandos won one of India's most historic military victories.
Standing at the edge of Dholavira is witnessing history textbooks crammed in school coming to life. One is suddenly standing face to face with a 4,000-year-old civilisational site that is now but a ruin.
India failed to extract the 'price' from Pakistan for its Kargil misadventure.
The price could have been military in terms of loss of territory/soldiers/equipment or destruction of terrorist training infrastructure. Giving a 'face saving' option to Pakistan proved disastrous for the future, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
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.
From massed band's 'Shankhnaad' to Navy's lilting 'Mission Chandrayaan', mellifluous tunes reverberated across the Raisina Hill in the heart of Delhi as India's rich heritage and towering accomplishments were celebrated during the Beating Retreat ceremony on Monday.
An artist gives finishing touch to a wall mural depicting Tiger Hill and Indian Army personnel, ahead of Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, in Jammu district, July 18, 2022.
On the 25th anniversary of the battle that made his war cry 'Dil Maange More' part of national lore, we republish that feature to salute Captain Batra's ultimate sacrifice for the nation.
The battalion launched an attack and came under intense fire from the enemy after reaching the hill top. Singh died in the gun battle and was awarded a Sena Medal posthumously.
Param Vir Chakra awardee, Subedar Major Yoginder Singh Yadav, on his superannuation on Saturday received a traditional send-off from the Army.
Keisha Santwan, 16, and her travel-obsessed family love the joy of exploring new places.
'A battery of six guns had a devastating effect because it can destroy men and material.'
He said his biggest takeaway from the Kargil war is that the enemy cannot be trusted even if there is "political show" of friendship.
Brigadier M P Bajwa (retd), commander of the troops that captured Tiger Hill, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih how a band of young soldiers won the Kargil War's most famous battle with their blood and grit.
'It is my duty to tell them about the brave soldiers who gave their lives for our land.' 'The free air of freedom that we breathe is because of men like them.'
Major Adhikari was a man par excellence and had won our hearts. His supreme sacrifice for the nation shook us till the roots. A fascinating excerpt from Param Vir Chakra Captain (Honorary) Yogendra Singh Yadav's book, The Hero of Tiger Hill.
A salute to the youngest Param Vir Chakra Awardee, Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Yogendra Singh Yadav who has retired from the Indian Army.
The IAF has planned several activities at the air base to commemorate the 20 years of the war and the symbolic recreation of the Tiger Hill attack was one of them.
The government has sent a proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to organise a cricket match on August 22 between India and the rest of the world as part of celebrations to mark 75 years of India's independence.
On a mission to visit the families of soldiers who have died in action, Vikas Manhas has met over 1,000 families whose loved ones made the supreme sacrifice for the country.
Hurried and ill-planned Summits like the Vajpayee-Musharraf Summit in Agra which preceded the attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001 are best avoided for now, says G Parthasarathy
Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, who commands the 'Fire and Fury' 14 Corps, has the experience and talent to face down the Chinese challenge. The general is a rare combination of thinker and tough-minded doer, observes David Devadas.
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.
India's only boutique winery and wine resort owner Kavita Chougule never wanted to be 'idle, rich woman'. Tiger Hill, her luxury wine brand, is made of hand-picked berries from her 200-acre vineyard. She uses imported Italian and French oak barrels to make wine and the wine bottles are stylishly packaged. The vineyard also has a 20 room hotel, replete with a spa that has vinotherapy. Tiger Hill belongs to her husband's Indage Group, which is synonymous with wine in India.
Even though he loves direction, acting is where his heart lies.
Singh paid tributes to soldiers killed in the Kargil War at a memorial in Dras sector.
'Today, our vast green pastures where local herders used to take their cattle to graze have been taken over by the Chinese.' 'The people in the Galwan Valley have lost their lands where their cattle used to graze.'
'Somehow the Flying Sikh has endured in people's memory.'
'Unless you capture territory and plant your flag, the war is never won.'
India is observing the sixteenth anniversary of the Kargil War this week.
'We decided that we would fire our rockets and dive into the valley and get away, making it difficult for the missiles to be fired.'
'Having been an air warrior myself for three decades, I am sure the IAF has all the info in place to be divulged at the right time,' says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
'War is won by team work. War is won by sacrifices,' says Subedar Sanjay Kumar, Param Vir Chakra.
'Insignias or not, Dhoni's will remain the deadliest pair of gloves behind the stumps,' notes Shekhar Gupta.
The Holi weekend is just a month away and if you haven't planned ahead, we'll help you out.
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