The Brave 20 On The Border

           Around fifty men were sitting near a blazing fire withstanding the bitter cold. The temperature was around minus 10 degree Celsius. Their teeth were chattering and the fire was slowly reduced to a kindling flame. Even the two tanks and the ammunition was freezing. The head of the group, with a great adorable moustache was sipping his hot tea from a thermos. The fire reduced to zero. Three soldiers took the responsibility of the night duty one-by-one.

           Dinesh Kumar was the last night duty man. He reported to the colonel that there was no noticeable activity in the night.

  There were three huge gigantic mountains near the Line of Actual Control between China and India. The Galwan valley was a very strategically important place for India. And the Chinese wanted to capture it. China desired every piece of possible land of the neighbouring countries. Perhaps it’s the country with the shortest informal motto: Expansion.

            They wanted the South China Sea, they wanted Taiwan, they wanted Hong Kong, name anything in the world and they wanted it. So, where was I? Oh yes, the Galwan valley. It was a very important place for India as it contained the only trade route through the chilly terrains of Leh and Ladakh towards Pakistan. They had targeted the crown of India. The Indians had to defend it….

           The Indian soldiers today noticed an unusual activity in the mountains. He had to transfer the information as quickly as possible….

        ‘Bravo, Charlie, can you hear me??’ asked Ajay Mishra.

         ‘Roger.’ Replied the General.

         ‘The snow gives a cap to the second mountain, and     the second mountain gives a stealing look to us.’

         ‘Be ready to kill the mountain’s eyes and be ready to kill the wireless too….’

         ‘Aye Aye Sir. I think the ministers of King Param Mahavir need to be summoned.’

All discussion went on in code language.

         ‘Roger.’

He destroyed the wireless.

The border tensions were continuously climbing up the hill and the senior officers were opposing the decision             of the meeting. But they couldn’t do anything. Till when will they keep the Chinese quiet by signed papers ? They’ll have to keep their mouth shut. They will have to show their power….

But the situations went worse when even before the soldiers were chosen and sent, the Chinese appeared from the valley. They started pelting very rough stones from deep within. Their Colonel, Wang Yi, had more than 300 soldiers behind him. The Indian soldiers were astonished. Their three soldiers lost their lives. Wang Yi came out of the valley with a hundred soldiers. They had sharp knives and the battle began.

The battle was raging. Amar Jeth Singh pierced a knife into a Chinese’s abdomen. He was bleeding furiously. The enraged Indian Lieutenant slashed down the arms of a brilliant martial art soldier and pierced open his flesh. His open bone was visible. Without losing a chance, with one blow of his fist, Lieutenant Amar slashed the bone in two and the soldier died instantly of pain.

           The Chinese too seemed to be fierce. Their artillery seemed to be endless. The Chinese Major in the battle, Kim-um-Chang, took a rifle and shot a bullet right in Colonel Singh’s head. Still, he kept smiling. The puzzled Major went on to fight with someone else. But was Colonel Singh to leave him? Just as he was to hit a bullet in Deepak Shah’s back, he split the Chinese Major’s head into two with his battle axe, which only expert military men got.

           Kim-Um-Yong was a terrific martial art soldier. He was the one who had killed nine Indian soldiers by then. The Indian army had to think of something to stop him. They had to think of some way to stop him.

           Ajay Mishra was duelling Kim-Um-Yong. The duel was fierce. But Kim seemed to have a slight higher edge. He cut Ajay’s hands he kicked his leg so hard that his bone broke.

           ‘Pass me the Bennett, Ajay!! Fast!! I’ll kill him right away!’ cried the furious colonel. Ajay Mishra was furious why he wasn’t able to pass on the Bennett to the fallen duelling Indian colonel! He was trying to his fullest, but suddenly he realised that his hands were cut and blood was oozing from every part of his body. His Tibia was cut and so were his hands. He had lost an eye too. But even though all that, he somehow managed to kick the Bennett to the colonel who then immediately shot Kim.

           When the Chinese understood that their strategy wasn’t working, they cunningly left some soldiers down to fight and the rest went up on the top of the shortest mountain and climbed it hiding. When al the Chinese below died, all the soldiers were puzzled!! Now they were on the top of a mountain and it was a near to impossible feat to defeat them now. Now what will they do??

           Suddenly, Captain Deepak Shah had an idea. He without explaining the idea, called Lieutenant Amar and told him to hit two trace bullets below 50 feet from the peak. Then hit a 5–pound shot there where the mark is been made. See what happens….

The tank was lightened to help it at least a little to help it climb up from the opposite side of the mountain from the Chinese. He hit the two trace bullets and the 5-pound shot. And lo!!! The mountain’s top peak broke off from 50 feet and all the Chinese fell down in the valley and died a deserving death!! That was a very important point in the bloody battle. The Chinese had understood that messing with The Indian Army is not a joke.

 Lieutenant Amar Jeth was transferring intelligence to Delhi. He just completed this and went on to wear his boots and go fight. But the boots were so icy that his feet started to bleed. But he didn’t stop. The blood passed the leather and passed on the ice below. The ice became redder and redder. He went on, killing the Chinese, with whatever he would get, be it even a stalagmite.

           The Chinese had very strong artillery but still our soldiers fought. They did not lose hope…

           Colonel Singh cried, ‘Pull the scrawny Chinese down the Galwan River, who have just disgraced the sacred river just by their presence. Only their blood, which the river would itself take, will calm it!!

           The rivers sub-zero temperatures killed the Chinese of frostbites and hypothermia. The Chinese had learnt their lesson….

           The skirmish ended when the Chinese themselves requested to sign a peaceful treaty. A couple of skirmishes followed, but they were bought to an end by meetings of senior military officers and warnings. The Chinese were beaten by the valour and courage of the Indian soldiers….

           Colonel Singh then produced the tricolour and grounded it into the Earth. Even the snow trembled and the Earth shook by the power of the grounded flag. All the Indian soldiers saluted the it and wept happily and grievously at the same time.

The families of the Indian soldiers were waiting for their sons and husbands and fathers, thinking they’ll come and they will rejoice together….

           The next day, the whole India was crying. Twenty Indian soldiers died. But they died, killing more than a hundred Chinese and injuring another hundred and fifty. Small children, awaiting their father…. Sorry, I can’t explain their emotions. I leave that task up to you. But these soldiers made the nation proud.

  The Chinese, who are still simultaneously battling fifteen countries, were defeated by the valorous and Indian soldiers. They gave their lives for their Mother India. They fought, killed, died, putting their country before their family, losing blood but gaining respect at the same time, and they, by their valour, finally got a chance to fall into their Mother India’s feet and die laughing. Their patriotic approach wasn’t for the Shaurya Chakra, but for keeping the country’s head high, and at the same time, for the people of India, who really need them and not to forget, for the ones, who have died for them.

           All of them were thinking that day: nothing is bad when done for a good purpose. The Chinese killed our ‘Jawans’ with a bad intention, so indeed, it was bad. But the fight from our side was for a good cause. Is this how it feels it to be a saviour?? Is this the pride of saving the nation, or was it something else?? These questions are still unanswered and the Indian soldiers are still searching their soul for the reply….