Captain Vikram Batra: Facts unsaid in the biopic
Image from wikipedia page
Ye dil maange more!’ (The heart desires for more!), said this braveheart after recapturing the dangerous heights of point 5140. The young officer of the Indian army became a well known name in the country after the telecast of his interview which was taken after the capture of point 5140.
The next mission he led is considered one of the toughest operations in the history of mountain warfare. This was the mission to recapture the crucial feature, point 4875. The mission during the execution of which, the braveheart was martyred.
This is now known to everyone who has seen his biopic “Shershaah” starring Sidharth Malhotra in the titular role. There are many who know much about our beloved Batra sahab, but this post intends to convey some facts unknown to the common masses. Here is a list of facts which the readers might be interested to know.
1. Captain Vikram was an NCC Cadet
During the first year of his undergraduate study in DAV College in Chandigarh, he was a cadet of the Air wing of the National Cadet Corps.However, he later continued his remaining 2 years of NCC training in the Army wing. In the first of his 3 years of NCC, he was adjudged the best air wing cadet of the Punjab directorate in an Inter-state camp.
2. Participation in Republic Day Parade 1994
Vikram was selected for the Republic Day Parade, which is the most coveted parade an NCC cadet can march in. He was one of the only two cadets selected from Chandigarh for the grandest parade organized in India every year.
3. Captain Batra used to work in a travel agency during his Masters degree course
Vikram joined M.A. English course at the Punjab University in Chandigarh. It was during this time, thinking in a way a responsible son would, he worked during his non college hours. With the help of his friend Joginder Pal, who worked in a firm named Star Travels, Vikram got a job as the head of PR(Public Relations) there. This way Captain Batra proved himself as a responsible son too.
4. The dreaded commando course in Belgaum
The commando course at Belgaum, is considered one of the toughest in the world. It is mandatory for all Infantry officers under the age of thirty to qualify the course. The course is so tough, that most officers fail to qualify the course in a single attempt. But Captain Vikram passed the course in his first and only attempt, and that too with an Instructor’s grade which is the highest grade one can attain in the course.
5. Death of Captain Batra unlike in the movie
During the final attack on Point 4875, one of Captain Vikram’s soldiers got badly injured due to heavy enemy firing and fell a few meters away from the bunker where Captain Batra was. When the enemy kept firing at the injured Jawan, Captain Vikram could not see his injured soldier in distress and hence decided to evacuate him. When informed of the decision, Subedar Raghunath started moving towards the injured soldier when he was stopped by Captain Vikram. Captain Batra told Raghunath to stay towards the feet, and he would go towards the head of the soldier to carry him back to safety. Vikram exposed himself to direct enemy fire as he was evacuating the soldier, but still managed to bring the injured soldier back to safety.
It was at this point, when Captain Batra was about to take cover in the bunker that he was shot in the chest by an enemy sniper. He fell to the ground but still managed to fire back at the enemy. Moments later an RPG shell exploded near him and the splinters pierced his body, and he succumbed to his injuries. Though Captain Batra wasn’t able to see the capture of point 4875, it was his act of single handedly clearing three well fortified enemy bunkers that ultimately led to the capture of point 4875 by his fellow soldiers who were inspired by their beloved Batra sahab’s bravery and at the same time enraged at the enemy responsible for his death.
6. Legacy of the Shershaah
After the battle of point 4875, (then)Lt.Col. Y.K.Joshi recommended Captain Vikram Batra’s name for the Param Vir Chakra. The medal was received by Captain Batra’s father on August 15, 1999. The mess at the Indian Military Academy was renamed as Vikram Batra mess, and his large framed photo was placed in the IMA Hall of Fame. The DAV college in Chandigarh where Captain Batra studied, has built a memorial in his honour, on the campus. Captain Batra’s parents have named their house in Palampur as Captain Vikram Batra Bhavan, and have made a museum of his, in the first floor of their house. Many more such memorial structures of Captain Batra are present in the country.
The legacy of Captain Vikram Batra will continue to live in the memory of our people, and his story will continue to inspire many. The life of Captain Batra is surely worth remembering.
Source: “The Shershah of Kargil” — Biography of Captain Vikram Batra By Deepak Surana
Originally published at
http://thedeviprasadblog.wordpress.com
on August 28, 2021.
By Deviprasad on August 28, 2021.
Exported from Medium on December 21, 2024.