MAJOR RAJESH SINGH ADHIKARI'S BODY BROUGHT HOME
Dr. Jai Maharaj
The Pioneer
Wednesday, June 16, 1999
Nayee Dillee (Pioneer News Service) - Home they brought
her warrior dead,
She neither swooned nor uttered a cry...
She just stood there like a stone, a silent tear
streaming down her cheeks. Mamata had already received
the news a fortnight ago. But now was the time to face
it.
She was the sister of 29-year-old Major Rajesh Singh
Adhikari, who sacrificed his life in the Dras sector on
May 30. The major was among the first batch of soldiers
who launched an offensive on Tololing to rid the area
of intruders.
The soldiers had been ordered to attack the enemy
following the launch of Operation Vijay on May 25,
after Lieutenant Saurabh Kalia, on patrol duty in the
area, was declared missing. Asked to clear a height of
the enemy, the major caused them heavy casualties, but
later succumbed to injury.
Major Adhikari, born on Christmas Day, 1970, married
Kiran Adhikari (nee Negi) on June 9, 1998. Had he been
alive, they would have celebrated their first wedding
anniversary last Wednesday.
Mamata, clad in white, had come down to Delhi from
Nainital to accompany her brother on his last visit.
When Major Adhikari's coffin was lowered from an army
vehicle, the relatives accompanying her let out a
suppressed cry. But the valiant sister was not found
wanting in courage.
The only time she came close to breaking down was when
she laid a wreath on the Major's body, and later, when
Defence Minister George Fernandes offered her
condolences.
After the Minister and the Services brass had paid
homage to the martyrs, Mamata got her chance to get
close to her brother. She placed a wreath of white
flowers on the coffin and stood there, head bowed, for
several silent moments. Another tear lined her face.
She then stepped aside and bowed her head again with
folded hands in front of the coffins of the subedar and
havildar. After she was through, arms were reversed and
a silence observed in honour of the heroes.
The most poignant moment came after the ceremony was
over. On his way out, Mr Fernandes took a detour and
started walking towards the mourning sister, who made
no attempt to walk towards him or get out of his way.
When they came across each other, neither spoke a word.
Sharing grief does not need words. They just looked
each other in the eye. While the girl's eyes brimmed
with tears, the Minister swallowed a lump in his
throat. But they still didn't share a word. He patted
her on the shoulder and moved away, head bowed.
Earlier, the tricolour-draped bodies of Major Adhikari
(from Nainital), Subedar Randhir Singh (Bhiwani),
Havildar Manvir Bahadur Rai (Bagdogra), Rifleman Pan
Bahadur (Varanasi) and Rifleman Ram Nihar Yadav
(Varanasi) were brought to the Capital on Tuesday
evening.
While the bodies of the riflemen were sent to Varanasi
by air from the airport itself, the other three
soldiers were brought to the parade ground campus,
Dhaula Kuan, at 6.02 pm. The Defence Minister and
senior officers of the armed forces paid their tributes
to the martyrs at a solemn ceremony.
After the 30-minute ceremony was over, the bodies of
the Major and the Subedar were sent to their native
places by road and arrangements were being made to send
the Havildar's body to Bagdogra by a chopper.
Later, speaking to newspersons, Mr Fernandes, praised
the "high morale" of the armed forces. He said
Operation Vijay was successful because of the
sacrifices made by patriots like Major Adhikari and his
men. "They have contributed their lives to make the
operation a success. The officers are leading from the
front, rather than directing their men from behind the
battlelines. This shows the high level of their
morale," he said.
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