This is how the mother of Kargil martyr Saurabh Kalia sees the allotments in Adarsh Society meant for war veterans and their families as she dwells on the memory of her son
This is how the mother of Kargil martyr Saurabh Kalia sees the allotments in Adarsh Society meant for war veterans and their families as she dwells on the memory of her sonu00a0
"Main aisa kaam karunga jisse puri duniya mein mera naam hoga," were the last words of Lieutenant Saurabh Kalia (22), 4 JAT Regiment Indian Army, to his mother at the Amritsar Railway Station on December 12, 1998.
Lieutenant Kalia who laid down his life 11 years ago while guarding the frontiers at Kargil made his words good in death.
Reminiscing about Saurabh, his mother, Vijay, said, "He was so confident, brave and always wore a smile, but he was eager to do something for the motherland.
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Studying at the Central School at Palampur (in Himachal Pradesh) cantonment area was his first interaction with the officers of the Indian army who influenced him to join the force.
What made him different from other kids was his determination and depth.
"He would tell me, 'Mama, whenever I see people in white clothes at funerals, I feel bad. Death should be colourful.'
He lived up to his words, making his sacrifice colourful in blood. I personally put the stars on his shoulder before he was leaving for his post in Kargil."
In his last phonecall on April 30, 1999, he said to his mother, 'Mama, I am going to the border.
Don't worry.' Said Vijay, "We only came to know from a newspaper article that Saurabh, along with five other jawans, was missing."
Dr NK Kalia, Saurabh's father, a retired scientist from CSIR, begins and ends his day with the memory of his son. "I am proud of my son. He made the supreme sacrifice for the country. He wanted tou00a0 leave a mark.
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He always said, 'One should leave an imprint after their death so that the country and its people remember them," he said.
As Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society comes to stand for greed, malpractice and favouritism committed at various public offices, the voices of the people the society was originally meant for Kargil war veterans and widows have somehow remained excluded.
MiD DAY, in a 10-part series, gives you the story of the ultimate sacrifice the Kargil martyrs made, little imagining that it would be so abused by babus and politicos for a plot of land in their name.
Speaking with their families, MiD DAY finds out what they have to say about Adarsh Society, a cruel misnomer that has mocked the purpose and the people it was supposed to serve.
On Adarsh scam"It's unfortunate and shameful for both the Army and the country, that people are using the name of Kargil martyrs for their selfish interests. I feel it's not greed for any benefits when a soldier fights for the nation, it is their love for the motherland which takes them to the battle field."
Dr NK Kalia, father
"This is the most shameful act that I know of where the CM of the state resigned after his name appeared in the scam. This is misusing the name of martyrs. I will say politicians may forget, but the people of this country will remember the sacrifice and give a fitting reply to these leaders when required."
Vijay Kalia, motherThe MartyrdomOn May 15, 1999, Lieutenant Kalia, along with five other jawans, had gone for a routine patrol of the Bajrang Post in the Kaksar sector when the enemy captured them.
They were barbarically tortured for 22 days, and their mutilated bodies were returned to the Indian Army.
The postmortem revealed that the Pakistan army had indulged in the most heinous acts; of burning their bodies with cigarettes, piercing ear-drums with hot rods, puncturing eyes before removing them, breaking most of the teeth and bones, chopping off various limbs and private organs of these soldiers besides inflicting u00a0all sorts of physical and mental tortures before shooting them dead, as evidenced by the bullet wound to the temple.
Kalia's brother was the one who had the heart-breaking job of identifying his body, when it reached Palampur, wrapped in a flag.
