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Sandesh To A Soldier

How do soldiers keep in touch with their families while at the battlefield? How do families talk to their beloved soldiers who stay away for months?

Away from home and living in harsh conditions, a letter, ghar se, can soothe the wrung nerves of soldiers, convey to them the much-needed warmth of home. And, for the families of martyrs, letters are mementos which keep alive our brave heroes.

The Quint’s 'With Love, Ghar Se' attempts to chronicle these emotional exchanges. Original letters written by family members to Captain Vijayant Thapar, Major CB Dwivedi, Captain Vikram Batra, Major Akshay Girish, and Naik Deepchand are testament to the bond which families and faujis were able to cement, despite being miles away.

Captain Saurabh Kalia was born in Amritsar in 1976 and completed his entire education till graduation in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. At the young age of 21 and standing at 6 feet 2 inches, he joined the Indian Military Academy in 1997. 

He was almost immediately posted in the 4 JAT Regiment (Infantry) in the Kargil Sector which he joined in January 1999.

Trouble was already brewing. In the last fortnight of May 1999, Captain Saurabh went out on Patrol duty thrice. He is hailed as the first office to provide detailed intelligence about Pakistan’s large-scale intrusion into Kargil.

The fourth time Patrol Duty came up, Captain Saurabh volunteered to go in place of another slightly older officer. With five other soldiers, he went to Bajrang Post at the height of 14,000 feet in the Kaksar area where his group faced heavy firing from the Pakistan army. They returned fire and held their posts until they ran out of ammunition and their signal equipment went out of order. 

They were captured on 15 May 1999 and kept in captivity for twenty two days without informing India about their Prisoner of War status. When Pakistan returned their bodies on 9 June, it was clear that they had been brutally tortured: broken teeth and bones, punctured eyes, cigarette burns, chopped off limbs and finally a fatal gun wound. But they didn’t give in and reveal any information that was demanded of them. 

 Captain’s Saurabh’s parents never got the opportunity to actually see him in a uniform since he was sent to war so soon after training. He became a martyr before his last salary arrived in his bank account, before he could see himself become a Captain. He gave his life in what came to be known as Operation Vijay, named after his mother, Vijay Kalia.

His last words to this mother before going to Kargil were: "Maa, tum dekhna. Ek din aisa kaam kar jaoonga ki saari duniya mein mera naam hoga.” (Maa, you see, one day I will do such a deed that the whole world will know my name).

See all the letters here.
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Captain Saurabh Kalia: A Letter From His Mother

Vijayant Thapar was born into an Army family. His great-grandfather, his grandfather and his father all served in the Indian Army, so it was easy for him to decide what he wanted to do in life. From a young age, he would take his father’s peak cap, his cane and march around like a soldier. One of his parents’ earliest memories is of him running around in the garden with their two dogs, chasing butterflies and doing mock charges on friendly langoors. Vijayant worked hard to realise this dream and was eventually selected for the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
 
He was commissioned on 12 December 1998 and joined the 2 Rajputana Rifles at Gwalior. After several counter terrorist operations, his unit was ordered to move to Drass to capture Tololing, Tiger Hill and adjoining heights. On 28 June, 2 Rajputana Rifles was given the task of capturing Tololing, Three Pimples, Knoll and Lone Hill area.

Again, Pakistan had all the advantages: a full moon night, strongly prepared positions, one narrow ridge, precipitous slopes on both sides, ravines thousands of feet deep, no cover and almost vertical climbs at places. The attack began and soon there was intense artillery shelling and enemy fire. Still, he, along with his troop, continued to move through a ravine towards their destination. At 8 PM that night, 120 guns opened fire. Undeterred, Captain Thapar led his team into this inferno. 

Somehow, the company secured a foothold on Knoll. Around this time, Captain Thapar heard the news of his company commander Major P Acharya being killed in the Battle of Tololing. This angered him like no other and along with his colleague Naik Tilak Singh, he starting engaging with the enemy from as close as 15 meters. He fought against two machine guns directly firing at him for an hour and a half after which he decided to move up and kill the enemy from closer range. Just then, a burst of fire struck him and he fell into the arms of Tilak Singh. He was only 22-years-old.

After this, his men charged ahead and fully captured Knoll, giving the Indian Army yet another of its decisive victories in the Kargil War.

See all the letters here.
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Captain Vijayant Thapar - Part 3: A Letter From His Father Colonel VN Thapar

Captain Vijayant Thapar - Part 2: A Letter From His Father Colonel VN Thapar

Captain Vijayant Thapar - Part 1: A Letter From His Father Colonel VN Thapar

Naik Deepchand, who lost both his legs and right arm in the 1999 Kargil war, still remembers clearly the victory of the Battle of Tololing. “We had only one target in mind… to defeat the enemy,” he says.

A first-generation army man, Deepchand was born on 5 April 1975 in Hisar, Haryana. While in class 12 at his school in Pabra, he received a letter to start artillery training in Nasik. Despite initial reservations from his family, he moved to Maharashtra in 1994. He credits his friends for the encouragement, as well as his grandfather who used to narrate inspiring stories of the 1965 and 1971 wars.

 “Dada ji knew from my childhood that I wanted to join the army,” he tells The Quint. He is proud to be the only one to join the army from his village, and the only person to have fought in the Kargil War. He is thankful to have inspired many from his hometown to join the ranks.

His first posting was in Firozpur for 3 years. In February 1998, Naik Deepchand was posted to Srinagar. Thereafter, he went on to fight in the Kargil War. “It was very cold that day. As many as 10,000 rounds were fired by our battalion,” he has been quoted as saying about the Battle of Tololing.

Over the years, Deepchand has taught himself to ride a scooter and perform other tasks. 

As of 2005, Deepchand is retired. He lives in Nasik and keeps himself engaged in social work. He also takes classes at an army training school. He lives with his wife, two sons, and an adopted daughter, now in class 7. One of his sons is currently preparing to join the NDA.

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A Letter to Naik Deepchand From His Sister Minu

This is the second letter written to Major CB Dwivedi, by his daugher Neha. 

Major CB Dwivedi was all of 20 when he joined the Army in 1981. He was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery as a gunner.

His unit, the 315 Field Regiment, was the first artillery unit to be deployed in Drass in the initial phase of the Kargil War on 14 May 1999. Major Dwivedi and his men were responsible for supporting the operations of four other regiments, who went on to capture Tololing, Point 5140, Black Tooth, Tiger Hill and Gun Hill from the enemy. Between 14 and 31 May, the unit went through an incredibly difficult period as they had to fire at one location and constantly keep moving to the next one in order to avoid detection. They were responsible for the safety of the infantry units, and were often faced with two choices at night – to either stop firing and wait for dawn, or to keep firing to protect the infantry. Major Dwivedi always chose the latter to provide a constant shield for his fellow men.

He faced the same choice on 2 July: to continue firing or to stop. Two infantry units (18 grenadier and 8 Sikh) would have been in grave danger had they stopped. As second-in-command, Major Dwivedi chose to put the units’ safety over his and motivated his men to keep firing at the enemy all night, with him at the gunner’s position on top of the artillery gun.

That evening, a shell landed right next to him. His arm was hit and some of the shrapnel entered his body from the side. He continued to fire until his last breath, even though he was bleeding profusely.

Even when he was on the field, Major CB Dwivedi was a family man through and through. He planned his holidays around his children’s exams and aided his wife in chores, from paying the bills to getting train tickets confirmed for her travels – all while posted in a war zone.

See all the letters here.
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Major CB Dwivedi: Part 2 - A Letter to Major Dwivedi From His Daugher Neha

This is a letter written to Major CB Dwivedi, by his daugher Neha. 

Major CB Dwivedi was all of 20 when he joined the Army in 1981. He was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery as a gunner.

His unit, the 315 Field Regiment, was the first artillery unit to be deployed in Drass in the initial phase of the Kargil War on 14 May 1999. Major Dwivedi and his men were responsible for supporting the operations of four other regiments, who went on to capture Tololing, Point 5140, Black Tooth, Tiger Hill and Gun Hill from the enemy. Between 14 and 31 May, the unit went through an incredibly difficult period as they had to fire at one location and constantly keep moving to the next one in order to avoid detection. They were responsible for the safety of the infantry units, and were often faced with two choices at night – to either stop firing and wait for dawn, or to keep firing to protect the infantry. Major Dwivedi always chose the latter to provide a constant shield for his fellow men.

He faced the same choice on 2 July: to continue firing or to stop. Two infantry units (18 grenadier and 8 Sikh) would have been in grave danger had they stopped. As second-in-command, Major Dwivedi chose to put the units’ safety over his and motivated his men to keep firing at the enemy all night, with him at the gunner’s position on top of the artillery gun.

That evening, a shell landed right next to him. His arm was hit and some of the shrapnel entered his body from the side. He continued to fire until his last breath, even though he was bleeding profusely.

Even when he was on the field, Major CB Dwivedi was a family man through and through. He planned his holidays around his children’s exams and aided his wife in chores, from paying the bills to getting train tickets confirmed for her travels – all while posted in a war zone.

See all the letters here.

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Major CB Dwivedi: Part 1 - A Letter to Major Dwivedi From His Daugher Neha

This is the second letter written to Major Akshay Girish, by his mother Meghna Girish.

A third-generation officer, Major Akshay Girish was born on 6 December 1985 in Bangalore. In December 2007, he was commissioned into the 51 Engineer Regiment of the Bengal Sappers. Major Girish got a degree in Electrical Engineering from the College of Military Engineering, Pune in 2013. He breathed his last on 29 November 2016.

He sacrificed his life during an attempt to neutralise terrorists who, disguised in police uniforms, had attacked an army unit at Nagrota in Jammu the same morning. Major Girish led a quick response team (QRT) to fight the gunmen and rescue the hostages. Major Girish was shot in the firefight, but it was a grenade lobbed at him that ultimately took his life.

His wife Sangeeta Ravindran and their three-year-old daughter were at the army camp when the attack took place. At 8.09 am on the ill-fated day, Major Girish had sent his last message on his family WhatsApp group which said “I’m in the firefight… First round came on our vehicle.. I’m with my qrt firing.. 2 casualty.. (sic)

Major Girish’s bravery saved the lives of all sixteen hostages

When the family heard the news of Major Akshay’s death, their world turned upside down. His mother, Meghana Girish, took to writing a blog about how things changed for the family after his death.

“Akshay raja had another side to his responsible, calm, committed and courageous self. He was quite a prankster and trying out a gag with someone he knew well was right up his ‘having fun’ street,” the blog post reads.

Major Akshay’s legacy lives on in the form of ‘Major Akshay Girish Memorial Trust’, run by his family. Major Girish was a poet, a foodie, and he loved painting and playing tennis. 

See all the letters here.
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Major Akshay Girish: Part 2 - A Letter From His Mother Meghna Girish

This letter was written to Major Akshay Girish, by his mother Meghna Girish.

A third-generation officer, Major Akshay Girish was born on 6 December 1985 in Bangalore. In December 2007, he was commissioned into the 51 Engineer Regiment of the Bengal Sappers. Major Girish got a degree in Electrical Engineering from the College of Military Engineering, Pune in 2013. He breathed his last on 29 November 2016.

He sacrificed his life during an attempt to neutralise terrorists who, disguised in police uniforms, had attacked an army unit at Nagrota in Jammu the same morning. Major Girish led a quick response team (QRT) to fight the gunmen and rescue the hostages. Major Girish was shot in the firefight, but it was a grenade lobbed at him that ultimately took his life.

His wife Sangeeta Ravindran and their three-year-old daughter were at the army camp when the attack took place. At 8.09 am on the ill-fated day, Major Girish had sent his last message on his family WhatsApp group which said “I’m in the firefight… First round came on our vehicle.. I’m with my qrt firing.. 2 casualty.. (sic)

Major Girish’s bravery saved the lives of all sixteen hostages

When the family heard the news of Major Akshay’s death, their world turned upside down. His mother, Meghana Girish, took to writing a blog about how things changed for the family after his death.

“Akshay raja had another side to his responsible, calm, committed and courageous self. He was quite a prankster and trying out a gag with someone he knew well was right up his ‘having fun’ street,” the blog post reads.

Major Akshay’s legacy lives on in the form of ‘Major Akshay Girish Memorial Trust’, run by his family. Major Girish was a poet, a foodie, and he loved painting and playing tennis. 

See all the letters here.
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Captain Saurabh Kalia: A Letter From His Mother

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