Hyderabad: This Independence Day, three retired Indian Air Force officers from the two Telugu speaking states will join a team, who will remember the martyrs of the 1999 Kargil War at the battleground, Dras, where the supreme sacrifice was made. The trekking trip starts from August 15.
A team of 30 air warriors, 15 serving and 15 retired, of the Air Force Adventure Cell will trek the Tiger Hill. Jabar, Yaldor and Tololing that witnessed blood and guns and where the Kargil saga was witnessed, are on the visit list of these 30 warriors.
Air Commodore U.N. Ganguly (retired) speaking to this newspaper about his trip said, “It is no less than a pilgrimage. I was in a safe office in Command Headquarters during the Kargil Operations, known as ‘Op Vijay’ in May 1999. But I wanted to see the ground reality of the grid map that I had been tracking for 24x12 weeks. I always wanted to see the magnitude of the challenges posed by the daunting and jagged mountains of Kargil. Now I am going to see the battlefield where the saga of Kargil and Dras, Tiger Hill and Jabar, Yaldor, Tololing and Three Pimples was scripted in blood and guts, fortitude and audacity and supreme sacrifices by our spirited Infantry and Air Warriors.”
Wing Commander Radha Krishna Kotapati (rtd ) and Group Captain Venudhar Reddy from the two Telugu speaking states will be accompanying Air Commodore U.N. Ganguly. The group will also be visiting the location where Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, VrC, a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force was killed by the Pakistani military in the 1999 Kargil War in Kashmir.
This is for the second year that a trip to the battle field is being organised by the Air force adventure club. For Group Captain Venudhar Reddy, it is his second expedition. He recalled, “There is permission up to Toloing, further on there is no clearance as the bombs that blasted during the Kargil war remain on the hills. The team will gather at Leh and after a thorough medical check-up, acclimatize and will trek the local ranges for three days and then reach Dras. On the 22nd , the D-day, we trek to Tololing to pay homage and stand proud. We get back to Dras the same day and return to Leh and disperse on August 24.”
He further added, “Like one veteran said ‘You can leave the military but it never really leaves you.’ It gives me a sense of pride to know that I was and will always be a part of this institution and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. This is my second trek to Tololing peak, as part of Kargil Commemorative Trek organised by Air Force Adventure cell in collaboration with Indian Army and my only getaway to the fauji experiences that I miss everyday.
“It gives one goose bumps standing there to realise that you are now a part of the battleground that changed the course of the Kargil war, the sacrifices made and the decisions taken by the armed forces to capture the posts braving difficult terrain in direct line of fire with the air support by the Indian Air Force. It is a not something that can be explained in words. The Kargil memorial must be felt, is a must visit for every Indian youth,” he added.
