The Inspiration to Join the Indian Army
By Divya Palanisamy
Grade 12
The NGP School
Coimbatore
India, home to over 1.3 billion people is a country filled with rich culture,
heritage, and value. The nation sings of democracy, freedom, and virtues
that appeal to the betterment of mankind. In a country with abundance and
beauty, the patriotism that rings in every Indian is a song that carries our
nation’s pride throughout the world. Nationalism and freedom gave birth to
a new land of prosperity. Freedom fighters gave birth to a new horizon of
waking dreams for all our brothers and sisters. In thinking of all this, it is
easy to forget that the freedom we enjoy today was not a battle won merely
after being proclaimed as an independent country.
Even after the British left, many important battles continued to be fought at
the borders of the country to ensure that the peace we have does not ever
get stolen from us. The Indian Military System is the anchor that secures
every Indian’s liberty. The defense system of India is her backbone. To
honor those who showed great valor in times of danger, the Indian
Government awards these brave hearts with the Gallantry Awards.
It is no wonder for us that the men and women in this field have had to
show incredible bravery in the face of danger. What we often fail to see is
that we too can become just like them. I was also like that, blind to the idea
of serving in the army. But, there was this one Gallantry Award Winner who
changed my thoughts. Hearing his story inspired me and woke me up. It
showed me that the army is the most respectable posting because it is not
just a job, it is a duty. A duty of pure love to the country that knows no
limits. The man who opened my eyes and made me realize my own inner
sense of duty was Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav, the youngest recipient
of Param Vir Chakra. India’s highest military decoration was given to him
for his distinguished act of bravery during the 1999 Kargil War.
Growing up, Yogendra Singh Yadav knew ever since he was a child that
the army was the place for him. His father was also a part of the army, and
the awestriking stories narrated by him were the motivation behind Yadev’s
decision. He joined the army at Sainik when he was only 16 years old. To
think that a sixteen-year-old could swell up his chest and claim that he too
was part of the Indian Army is wondrous. Just two and a half years after
being recruited, the incident that earned him the noble Gallantry award
happened.
On the night of July 1999, he was a part of the Ghatak Platoon, assigned
with the duty of capturing Tiger Hills in Kargil. To reach the peak of Tiger
Hills, the team had to first climb 16,500 feet of the steep snowbound, and
rocky section of the mountain. Mr. Singh was leading the platoon up the
slope when the attack started.
The enemy forces saw the Indian soldiers and began firing at them.
Mr. Yogendra Singh suffered many bullet wounds. But, this brave man did
not stop his duty even at confronting the possibility of death. He did not
give up. Instead, he chose to fight with all his strength. His valor inspired all
the other members of his platoon to keep this stand., They charged at the
enemies and captured Tiger Hill Top.
As for Yogendra Singh Yadav, everyone thought he had died. But, this is
not where his story ended. In spite of having 12 major bullet wounds, this
man survived and lived to tell his story to all.
This is not a fiction story. It happened in reality and is an event that gave
me a deep insight to me. It inspired me to join the Armed Forces to create
my own story of bravery.
When I join the Indian army the first goal in my mind will be that a leader
does not tell others what to do, they lead by showing others the right path
through their actions. This is the kind of leader that Yogendra was, and it is
the kind of person that I want to be. Determination, patriotism, teamwork,
leadership, and the attitude to never give up are all embedded values that I
have learned from this great hero. And it is these values that I will display
on being recruited by the army. Currently, the Indian forces are focusing on
being ‘in stride with the future by restructuring and inducing new modern
weapon systems for future conflicts’. I will strive to work towards this
mission of enhancing the kind of weapons that the army use and increasing
the sense of security in the frontiers of the country.
But most importantly, the one dream that I have is to serve the nation with
all my might and whole of being. It does not matter to me even if I die,
because it is clear that the legacy a war hero leaves never dies easily. I am
prepared to lead risky missions if it means that lives can be saved. The
youth of today must be encouraged to see the honor in being able to claim
that they are part of the army. As a member, I can guide and mentor my
brothers and sisters to take up the roles of patriotism.
The father of our country, Mahatma Gandhi rightly said that strength does
not come from physical capacity it comes from an indomitable will. And I
am willing to sacrifice my life, if need be, for the country’s pride to never
lose its vigor.