“Either I will come back after hoisting the Tricolour, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure.” — Captain Vikram Batra. A soldier is not merely a person, but he is our pride. He is the heart of our country, the core of our strength and the honour of our Flag. Our Mother India saw the 21st anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26th July. On this very day back in 1999, the Indian Army recaptured all the Indian posts in Kargil. These posts had been occupied by Pakistan’s Army in an armed conflict between India and Pakistan. Above all, This bloody battle took place in the Kargil district of Kashmir, India defeated Pakistan. Commemorating that day, the Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated with reminiscences of the Indian Army shielding our country. And therefore, swording against Pakistan with utmost courage and gallantry.

The exquisite towering peaks of the Himalayan Mountains have challenged the ability of man to survive in extreme conditions. Waging war at high altitude has proven to be a more daunting task. Above all, the high altitude environment has posed the same unique challenges to soldiers throughout history. From the Himalayan expedition of Alexander in the fourth century B.C. to the Indo-Pakistan Kargil Conflict in 1999. The Kargil war is the most recent example of high-altitude warfare in mountainous terrain. And as such posed significant logistical problems for the combating sides. It is also the only instance of direct, conventional warfare between the states that possess nuclear arms.

About Kargil War: A Walkthrough

India had conducted its first successful nuclear test in 1974, named as Smiling Buddha. Pakistan, which had been developing its nuclear capability secretly since around the same time, conducted its first test in 1998. Only two weeks after the second series of tests by India. In the summer of 1999, Pakistan and India engaged in high altitude combat in Kargil. Pakistani forces occupied peaks in Indian-held territory. Dominating the lone road that connected India to the remote reaches of the Kashmir state. The Indian Army faced the formidable task of defeating an enemy entrenched atop commanding heights. In addition, a campaign that lasted seventy-four days concluded with India in control of the peaks around Kargil.

Talking about the backdrop, only few senior Pakistani leaders know whether the incursion which began in early 1999. Or something designed to force international intervention in Kashmir. Or if it was simply the result of local commanders’ initiative to seize terrain along the Line Of Control (LOC) unoccupied by Indian forces.

Concomitants Of The War

Kargil-like operations are viewed by Pakistan as an ineffective means of dispute resolution, mainly because Kargil appears to come out as a failure in the eyes of the world. The significance of this conclusion, however, is limited by the fact that many stakeholders in Pakistan simultaneously believe that Kargil can be seen as a victory of sorts. This continuing ambiguity about the effect of Kargil, when coupled with the strong Pakistani belief in the utility of other kinds of coercive operations against India, has unsettling consequences for the prospect of lasting stability. In stark contrast to Pakistan’s guarded and even deceptive accounts of Kargil, India has been very critical of key operational areas and has published several accounts of the operation.

The Lion Hearted

We have come long enough to realise that we, the Indians, have to be ready for Pakistani recklessness, appearing in different areas and taking various forms. Herein comes the Indian Army without whose shield India would lay defeated by the strikes of Pakistan. The three-month war lead to the demise of Nearly 490 Indian army officers, soldiers and jawans.

Among the brave heroes of Kargil, there was Captain Anuj Nayyar who lost his life in the Tiger Hill during the war. In addition, there was Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum, Indian Army Major Padmapani Acharya, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, Colonel Sonam Wangchuk, Major Vivek Gupta, Naik Digendra Kumar, Sanjay Kumar who was the rifleman, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav and many other courageous heroes who were awarded either Maha Vir or Param Vir Chakra for their ceaseless bravery and chivalry shown in the battlefield.

Though in this tumultuous time of Covid-19 any grand outdoor celebration is not possible. Let us pause for a moment and pay our heartiest tribute to the ones who guarded us all and saved our country. They bore the deepest scars of the wounds of war and shielded us from the fire and smoke of death, and our National Flag flies high with the breaths of them, mingling with the blood of their hearts and the spirit of their entities. Jai Hind!

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Introduction In Snippet

Such self-assuring benevolence left several significant facts and accurate reports of the revolution, known as The Sepoy Mutiny or The First Anglo-India War, either distorted or untold, while the names of the heroes unsung. In the history of Modern India, no political enquiry has gained as much attention as the 1857 Revolution. For the abundance of studies related to this crisis, ‘subcontinental’ as undermined by the Colonial writers. Above all there leap up numerous confusions regarding the causes, results and aftermath of this “Great Mutiny”.

Although the colonial school of historians have indulged in terming of the uprising as a mere mutiny of Indian troops. A more in-depth probe proves that the unrest had a scale of that of a national revolt. With people from every stratum of society, from the peasants to the Zamindars, participating in it. The introduction of Enfield rifles and the grease used in the cartridge is popularize as the immediate cause of the uprising. In addition it was not even a fact to count as a reason for the revolt.

For a long time, a collaborative attempt by the British Government to stab the cultural ethos of the Hindus of the country in particular and the whole nation in general. They tried to curb the cultural nationalism of India. Ramesh Chandra Majumder in his prominent work. The Sepoy Mutiny and the Revolt of 1857 mentioned that “There were some special reasons for bitterness in the relation between the two communities. Englishmen in general regarded the Indians as barbarians. Additionally, the Christian Missionaries held in open contempt the idolatrous practices of the Hindus.”

Gaining Momentum

The very idea of the Indian subcontinent as an louche, primitive region and the Indians as illiterate savages attack the pride of the Indians and their identity and potentials were undermine. The shrewd attempt of the Christian Missionaries to convert the Indian Hindus and Muslims into Christians pounced on the bond among the Indians. The “Divide and Rule” policy was apply by the British in the backdrop of the socio-politico-cultural scenario of India, e.g. community-run education, the institution of marriage and the army. Consequently, the accumulated fury and dissatisfaction of the Indians reached the acme with the unrest of 1857, which gained its momentum as a united uprising to incorporate the sociocultural identity of the ancient Indian civilisation.

Herein it must not be lost sight of that the Leftist intellectuals contributed to strengthening the fault lines of the British administration. Toeing that idea, we come to the exquisite book by Parag Topé who, interestingly, revises history by remembering, deconstructing and re-establishing the facts how the Marathas and the Mughals joined together to dethrone the British and how that process culminated at the end of British colonialism in India. In addition the subterranean imperial strategies of dominance, the British Government subverted the hopes of people longing for freedom.

The Letter Of Tatya Tope

This cannot be understood without tracing the true nature of the war. Which was variously named as rebellion, uprising, insurrection, revolt or more famously ‘the Sepoy mutiny. In the book, Operation Red Lotus comes an unbiased account that emerges from various historical facts. Along with a detailed and critical study of Tatya Tope’s role in the struggle and his military acumen. That played a significant role in the strategic movements of the troops. The book breaks down the western account of the 1857 revolution. And in addition it tries to establish an accurate record of one of the most significant wars leading up to the freedom.

For the very first time, this revolutionary book brings to light the translations of the letters of Tatya Topé. And the prominent stance taken by Nana Sahib and Tatya Topé in setting up a parallel government. Apart from critical insight into hitherto unknown facts such as the ending of the war. The unknown people participating in the revolt and how the war was lost; Parag Topé sheds light upon the codes of the red lotus and the chapattis used in the war. He also unwraps the mystery tangled with the death of Tatya Topé. And destroys the myths and biased narratives related to the heroes and the events of this great rebellion.

To know history, we have to deconstruct history itself. In Bharat Gaathaa Series arranged by Bhavyata Foundation, we try to unravel the unknown facts, untold stories and unsung heroes. This Independence Eve, keep your eyes on our website to witness the untangling of the real history of the 1857. Along With Parag Topé as the speaker in the session 1857 War of Independence: Untold Story of the 1857 Revolution.

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A Quick Snippet Of History

In past decades, researchers made a plethora of critical studies in an attempt to weave together the sequence of events. Amid alternative perspectives, distorted accounts, biased narratives and assumptions we often lose sight of the man Subhas Chandra Bose was. He was not only a leader but a gem of a student, a son, a loving husband, a father. Jailed eleven times in his life, he struggled for achieving a Purna Swaraj. Like a matchstick, he spread the fire of love for freedom and awakened the true potential of the human heart. This article briefly remembers and pays tribute to one of the greatest heroes of India’s struggle for independence.

Oaten’s Poem For Subhas Chandra Bose

Talking of Subhas Chandra Bose, a student brimming with love for freedom, how can we not speak of the Presidency College incident! In the words of Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay, a contemporary of Subhas Chandra Bose in the college, E.F. Oaten was a fine, handsome and cultured man, an eminent professor of history. For maltreating the students, Subhas demanded an apology from him. As he failed to get the apology, he called for a strike. Which resulted in the suspension of Subhas himself from the college for assaulting the professor. Because he made some racist comments about the “natives”. After years, Oaten wrote a poem for him,

Did I once suffer, Subhas, at your hands?

Your patriot’s heart is stilled, I would forget!

Let me recall but this, that while as yet.

The Raj that you once challenged in your land

Was mighty; Icarus-like your courage planned.

To mount the skies, and storm in battle set.

The ramparts of High Heaven, to claim the debt

Of freedom owed, on plain and rude demand.

High Heaven yielded, but in dignity.

Like Icarus, you sped towards the sea.

What is significant here is that, after ninety-four years of him being expelled, Presidency College brought him back with “full glory and honour”.

Research Around Bose’s Death

Stories and research work revolve around the incidents of his life and death. Fictional accounts narrate many conflicting versions of the mysteries around him. Amidst all these, we forget the hero, the braveheart who tried to achieve complete freedom with blood, sweat and toil. With the second world war going on, he left India, to travel to the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, to seek an alliance. Along with Imperial Japanese assistance, he re-organised the Azad Hind Fauj and later became the leader of the army. With exquisite clarity in thoughts and immense practicality in vision, he tried to bring together the whole world beside him to fight against the British Government in India.

The Disappearance

On this day, 18th August, in the year 1945, a plane crash took place in Formosa. What most of us believe is, this was the day Bose disappeared. Thanks to the Mukherjee Commission and the Netaji-files, the declaration of Netaji’s death on 18th August 1945, as every significant biography of Subhas Chandra Bose says, has to stand the test of investigation. There are a plethora of theories related to this ‘escape’ or ‘disappearance’ of Netaji.

The disappearance of Netaji, the non-conformist, has been a perennial source for unending mystery. Numerous accounts related to Bose have been represented in cinema in many languages, research work and books, but fleetingly until the present decades. It is interesting that as days pass by, the relevance of the hero, the maverick, the leader, does not cease but increases like never before. Bose had shown up as a totemic presence in Ami Subhash Bolchi (2011) which was a remake of the Marathi film Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy (2009) and in Raag Desh (2017) which shed light upon the trials of three INA soldiers in the year 1944.

Other Biopics

Way before that, two full-fledged biopics have depicted him, the Bengali movie was Subhas Chandra in 1966 and the other one, in Hindi, was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, releasing in 2004. The latter one has the eternal lullaby “Ghumparani Mashi pishi moder bari eso”, as an integral part of the life of Subhas. He always longed for returning home but could not. Recently, the television miniseries named Bose: Dead/Alive (2017) tried to probe into the death mystery of Netaji. The most recent work on Bose is the movie Gumnaami (2019) which is endorsed as a dramatised version of the debate surrounding Netaji’s death and the return of Netaji as Gumnaami baba, brings forward a lot of arguments and counter-arguments. The complicated ideological and political stand of Subhas Chandra Bose and the mystery surrounding his disappearance make it challenging to portray the man on a page or screen.

Tribute To The Brave Hearted

There is a plethora of theories related to this ‘escape’ or ‘disappearance’ of Netaji. Following this incident, on February 18, 1946, the revolt of the Indian sailors demanding the release of all political prisoners which included the prisoners from Bose’s Indian National Army took place. Known as The Royal Indian Navy mutiny, the revolt was arguably one of the most significant events that convinced the British government that they couldn’t keep on ruling India.

Throughout his life, he has stood against the moderate methods of the Congress Party which were considered central to the gaining of India’s freedom. It is a continual process to know a hero fully. Let us pause for a moment to pay our heartiest tribute to Netaji, the immortal leader. The forgotten hero on the eve of 74th Independence week, on the day of his enigmatic escape 75 years back.

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