Name : The Legacy of Captain Saurabh Kalia
Authors: Sreemati Sen and NK Kalia
Genre: Non fiction, Biography
Pages: 258
Publisher: Penguin
Rating: 5/5
Some people are born great and some have greatness thrust on them. After reading the biography of Captain Saurabh Kalia, memories of 1999 bubbled up in my mind. The Kargil War! Televised into our living rooms. Every cannon fired, gun shot and excited anchors were live, in front of us.
Soldiers missing on patrol duty, were making headlines. The country consolidated behind its forces, its soldiers who were laying their lives, so people could be safe in their homes and living rooms.
Captain Saurabh Kalia remains etched in the annals of history as the first to be sacrificed along with his patrol comprising Sepoy Moola Ram Bidiyasar, Sepoy Bhikha Ram Moondh, Sepoy Arjun Ram Baswanbiha, Sepoy Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Sepoy Naresh and Singh Sinsinwar, from 4 Jat.
Sen and Kalia have brought out the last moments, these brave men must have gone through, the challenges at their post, and their imprisonment after ambush.
Its not easy to write a biography of a person not there to clarify views of the author, yet the family and friends have delved into their memories and etched out the person Captain Saurabh Kalia had been from childhood to the day he martyred after 22 days of savage torture at the hands of the Pakistani Army.
The simple language and the simple family makes one appreciate that its not the soldier alone, but his entire family who join them to serve the nation.
My heart broke to learn of a father’s lone battle to bring justice for his son who upheld the dignity of his nation till the last bone in his body was broken, nearly every organ, bruised, broken, or cut, and then shot in the back.
The book is more about the nature loving brother, friend, and citizen of Palampur who went on to be a sensitive leader his men looked upto. Just a young officer, a Second Lieutenant on his last patrol, he displayed moral courage and gallantry much beyond his years.
Thank you Sreemati Sen and N K Kalia.
A must read!
