When the guns fell silent: Sandese from Kargil

They were too young to die, but old enough to understand what they were made for. Talking to Aditi Singh, families reminisce about sons who never made it home, through their life & letters.
Captain Manoj Pandey(June 25, 1975-July 3, 1999) | 1st battalion, 11 Gorkha Rifles

“...Certainly, we will push back intruders at whatever cost we have to pay, maybe our lives.” These were the words written by Captain Manoj Pandey in his last letter addressed to his best friend, Pawan Mishra. A quarter of a century later, his family still looks out for him through his handwritten letters, his green-coloured journal, his flute and his photographs in the military uniform – reminding them of the warrior they had given birth to.

“Words like ‘I can’t’ had never existed in his dictionary. He always used to teach his younger siblings the tips and tricks on how to fight the enemy, and kept motivating them to be a good child and a better fighter,” said Gopi Chand Pandey, the proud father of the late captain.

The 24-year-old was assigned to recapture the Jobar Top during Operation Vijay. Even amidst snowy winter caps and fatiguing battle hours, he used to find time to write letters and his personal diary – the only solace of his parents now. Recalling his first interview with an officer in the Gorkha Rifles, his father said, “He always had his eyes on the Param Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry award of the country. He entered the Indian Army for it and also laid his life for it.” Before Captain Pandey sacrificed his life on July 3, 1999, he promised his mother that he’ll be back soon to celebrate his 24th birthday. Today, his parents are proudly known as the parents of Param Vir Chakra awardee, his siblings continue to remember his war cry, ‘Jai Mahakaali, Ayo Gorkhali’. “When he was studying in Sainik School, he had once noted in his diary, ‘Waqt aane par mrityu ko bhi jeet lunga (When the time comes, I will conquer death too)’. He continues to live with us,” he added, his eyes welling up.

Major Ritesh Sharma(October 27, 1973-October 6, 1999) | 17 Jat Regiment

When Major Ritesh’s father SP Sharma visited Kargil in 2017 with an Army troop, he could imagine his son smiling from the height of 1000 feet and telling him, “I told you an engineer can never fire a bullet in the chest of the enemy, but a soldier can.” “Jab tak apko ye patra mile, ladai tab tak samapt ho chuki hogi....humne Pakistan army ki 12NLI Bn ko buri tarah haraya (By the time this letter reaches you, the war would be over. We defeated the Pakistani army’s 12NLI Bn badly),” wrote Major Ritesh. “When we read his letter, we had this sigh of relief that our son will soon be back. He also mentioned that his battalion will be posted to Lucknow now and he’ll be home. But destiny had other big plans,” said his father, who fondly called him the ‘engineer of the nation’.

Major Ritesh was just 21 when he joined the Indian Army, against his parents’ wishes and 25 when he laid down his life in Kargil in 1999. He commanded his company in the attack on Pimple 2, a strategic mountain peak on the western side of the Tiger Hill. “He loved his ‘paltan’. He mentioned in his last letter that he did not return till he got all other injured soldiers from the artillery shelling, gave them first aid and sent them back, except Captain Anuj Nayyar. During the assault, Ritesh was injured badly and had to be left behind. He ensured Captain Anuj was in a position to lead the battalion to victory and he did. He kept on fighting the enemy and sacrificed his life, only after forcing the enemies to withdraw from the battle. Ritesh was deeply affected by his demise,” his father added. Today, at Ritesh’s house is a little corner full of memories — his photographs and medals, which give pride to the family. Atop that corner is the last family picture taken before Ritesh cut short his leave to perform his duty. “He forced us to take this picture. The last family picture,” said his mother Deepa Sharma.

Rifleman Sunil Jung Mahat(November 13, 1978-May 15, 1999) | 11 Gorkha Rifles

When the entire nation kept tuning in the radio and set their eyes on television after the war broke out, the residents of Topkhana Bazar kept rushing to the Jung’s residence to hear a word about Sunil.

Sunil’s mother Bina Mahat’s voice chokes as she recalls the day her son left for the heavenly abode. “That entire week I was glued to the radio. After a week, the news of his valiant act reached us. That day just feels like yesterday, when I couldn’t breathe and kept fumbling with his letters, his pictures. My Shah Rukh Khan would have been 43 today if he were alive,” she said.

At the tender age of 8, Sunil presented himself as a soldier at a fancy dress competition in his school and said these words out loud in front of the audience – “Mai is desh ke lie qatra qatra khoon ka baha dunga (I will shed every drop of blood for this nation).” Who knew that a few years later, he would stand true to his words.
Inspired by his grandfather and his father Nar Narain Jung, who served the Indian Army and also participated at the Indo-Pak War of 1971, Sunil joined the army as a soldier after finishing his school. In May 1999, his battalion was to move to Pune after completing its stints in Siachen. However, the entire programme changed following the news of the Kargil war. “Sony and Sweety, why aren’t you writing letters to me? There is nothing to be worried about. I am in a very good condition and tell mummy not to get worried about me. Give my love to everybody.” His last letter was to his sisters, Sunita and Shirjana, asking them to study hard and continue writing to him.

“He used to send separate letters to his sisters and gifts for them. There were times when he wasn’t able to send gift, but he always used to apologise to them through his letters. He wanted us to be known by his name, today his niece is also known by his name,” his mother Bina said.

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