Kargil Chronicles: Col Vijay Kumar Recounts His Tale from Indo-China Border

The 25th anniversary of the Kargil war - Vijay Diwas - will be observed on July 26. As India remembers all its fallen brave hearts on this day, there are some iron-clad men who lived to tell the tale.

Colonel S Vijay Kumar (Retd) is one of them.

"It's in my blood. It's in my DNA. I was born to be a soldier," says Vijay Kumar, as for him joining the Army was a childhood dream.

Trained in the IMA, Vijay Kumar recalls his posting in Arunachal Pradesh. As India was facing the threat of a two-sided war - with China on the other side of the border - the Army decided to deploy its troops in Arunachal as well.

It was a strategic move that prevented the Indo-China border from turning into another war zone.

"I was not as fortunate as I got posted in Arunachal. I wanted to join my batchmates in Kargil. But, when my commanding officer told me that we need to guard the Indo-China border also as there is a likelihood of escalation. Lo and behold, it happened within a couple of months," recounts Vijay Kumar.

"Loss of our friends in the Kargil war is not something we are very happy about, but I take pride in the high level of conduct and professionalism showed by our soldiers. I salute all my soldiers. I feel proud to have rubbed shoulders with them," Vijay Kumar concluded.

Kargil Vijay Diwas is not just a day of remembrance for all Indians, but it's also a day of India's triumph over the enemy forces. The brave jawans who laid their lives protecting their motherland have immortalised themselves in the annals of history.