Jammu remembers its Kargil heroes with pride

Kanta Devi’s last wish is that her martyred son Sepoy Uday Man Singh’s blood-soaked wallet be consigned to flames with her when she dies. Singh was killed in the battle for Tiger Hill on July 5 and Kanta has preserved his bullet-ridden wallet.
“My son received bullets on his chest. I am proud he laid down his life for the country.

He was my only son. My pain has not ebbed even after 10 years,” she said as she broke down at their Jammu home, two weeks before the Kargil anniversary on July 26.
He always wanted to join the army. His dream came true at 18. He was with 18-Grenadiers and 20 years old when he achieved martyrdom. “Once his teacher asked him what he wanted to do in life. He said he would join the army to serve his country,” Kanta said.

On the 10th anniversary of her son’s martyrdom, she made her last wish public, saying her prize possession be consigned to flames with her. “We have preserved the wallet. It has blood stains and mangled currency notes. Now, we want it to be cut into two, one piece will go with me to my funeral pyre and the other will be consigned to flames on the pyre of his father,” she said.

Kanta, 49, prides in her son’s bravery and its recognition. “I am a proud mother. Each year, I observe the anniversary of his martyrdom. This year, an officer of Brigadier rank visited my home to pay a tribute to my son. What else can you ask for?” she said.
Jammu is replete with such tales of bravery. It made the nation proud  when a number of army men from the region laid down their lives during the 1999 Kargil war.

Sharda Devi, the widow of Havaldar Dilher Singh Bhau of 12 J&K Light Infantry, still remembers the day when her husband responded to the call of duty despite their son being seriously ill.

“He had returned after serving in Siachen and was looking after our ailing son. One day, he got a call and immediately left for Kargil and on July 1, 1999, he was martyred in Batalik sector,” she said.

“When he left for the heavenly abode, we were living in a rented accommodation in Akhnoor. We had fled our home in Chamb sector because of cross-border shelling. We performed his last rites at a relative’s place,” Sharda said.

Baljeet Kaur lost her husband, Lance Naik Devinder Singh of 8-Sikh, four months into their marriage. She had spent only two months with him when he was called to Kargil on May 2. “On July 6, we got the news that he had died fighting the enemy on Tiger Hill. Later, I married his brother. I’m proud of my first husband who gave his life to the country,” she said.