Ayo Gurkhali — Hardy boys relive glory days

PUNE, JUNE 1: Every time he advanced forward with his boys, he knew that the task before him was almost impossible. Death lurked at almost...

PUNE, JUNE 1: Every time he advanced forward with his boys, he knew that the task before him was almost impossible. Death lurked at almost every step they took forward as enemy shelling continued in a relentless attack. Yet they quietly slithered forward, scaling the tough terrain at Kargil and emerging victorious at the end of the day.

Col Lalit Rai, commanding officer (CO) of the unit, believed in leading his men by example. He escaped death twice. In the first operation, he was saved by his boys who managed to vanquish the enemy before he could exhaust his last bullet. In another instance, the enemy bullet went through the binoculars he held closely to his chest. The bullet caused a little heartburn, but he escaped death.

Col Rai still carries this last bullet with him as a souvenir. And the binoculars occupy a pride of place at his home at Pune. After Kargil, Pune is a totally different terrain for his men.

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Battling the hostile element is not new to the men of 1/11 Gorkha battalion. It was sheer raw courage that has been their driving force, a force that helped the Gorkhas capture 10 peaks in a matter of just 11 days. It is almost a year after they complete their peace posting in Pune. And they have decided to commemorate their victory in a befitting manner on June 3 and 4. After all they were conferred the title of “The bravest of the brave” by Army Chief Gen V P Malik. It’s a feat achieved by very few units.

Three war paintings depicting the achievements of the hardy men of Gorkhas will be unveiled by Maj Gen J B S Yadav, Colonel Commandant of the Regiment during the celebrations. One of the paintings include the exploits of Lt Manoj Pandey who battled in the true Gorkha tradition. He lost his life and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. Lt Pandey’s parents will be present for the ceremony.

A 15-minute video film has been prepared by the unit giving an account of the manner in which the peaks were captured back by the battalion between July 1 and July 10. Aptly enough, a martial show, the Khukri dance, will be presented by the men of the unit. An earlier presentation by the Gorkha Rifles at the National Science Congress had drawn tremendous response from Puneites. Col Rai said the unit planned to re-enact the victorious scenes at special shows for the army families. This will include the Khalubar operation, the action by Lt Manoj Pandey saving the lives of many other soldiers.

The first CO who raised the battalion in 1960, besides eight other commandants, will be part of the Kargil Day celebrations which will begin with the solemn ceremony at wreath laying at the National War Memorial at Morwada Junction in homage to the martyrs. The special video film will be screened for the first time at the sainik sammelan.

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Col Rai’s men have prepared a Kargil room in their unit at Ghorpadi. He hopes that the citizens of Pune would share their joy and remember the sacrifices made by his soldiers.

THE FINAL VICTORY: Men of the 11 Gorkhas atop a peak after vanquishing the enemy in Kargil

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