The legend of Capt. Vikram Batra

In the aftermath of 1999 Kargil conflict, Indian Oil Corporation put up an inspiring ad in all the national dailies, in homage of Capt. Vikram Batra, who attained martyrdom and received India’s highest gallantry award for his bravery and crucial role in the Kargil victory. The ad had a catchy headline: “What can India’s only Fortune Global 500 Company learn from a man who opted out of a comfortable career?” (Thanks to internet, I was able to find it again). The ad was inspiring and had a profound effect on my adolescence. Just like the Kargil war in itself had a profound effect on Indian youth.

Kargil was a war similar to the previous ones where, India was not the aggressor but the defender. And defend the brave stalwarts did, by recapturing all the posts against all odds. The brightest of those stalwarts was Capt. Vikram Batra. It’s been 22 years since Kargil war and yet the legend of Capt. Vikram Batra refuses to fade away into obscurity. Any person of my generation, who followed the Kargil war, would be familiar with the name. He had become a household name and his supreme sacrifice made a huge impact on the nation’s consciousness. Thanks to the Shershaah the movie, his legend is not going to fade away for another 22 years at the least.

Arguably, no other Indian soldier has received so much recognition and love in modern Indian history as late Capt. Batra. Educational institutes, roads, statues and so many other things bear his name and keep him in our memories. But there was one thing he did not get until this year: a movie on his life. Though Abhishek Bachchan played his role in the 2003 movie by J.P. Dutta, Capt. Batra deserved a movie for himself. For this man had left behind quite a story for us.

“Here was a man who refused a lucrative job to attend to his true calling. Here was a man who loved his job like no other man. Here was an officer who was revered and adored by his men, peers and seniors alike. Here was a man who chose to make the supreme sacrifice at the age of 25, to meet mission objective. Here was a man who left behind a twin brother and proud parents. A man who gave so much into his four years of love relationship that the woman he loved, chose to live with his memories and never marry again.”

The legend of Capt. Vikram Batra finally got the movie it deserved. Thank you, Amazon, but …………….

Yeh Dil Maange More!