5th Pillar posted: " By: Dhanya Narayanan Ram Srinivasan, a retired Lieutenant General, hailed from Thendi, a small village in Tamil Nadu. This place had an aura of its own. Every fifth person living here was a part of the military services. Everyone greeted each "
Ram Srinivasan, a retired Lieutenant General, hailed from Thendi, a small village in Tamil Nadu. This place had an aura of its own. Every fifth person living here was a part of the military services. Everyone greeted each other with 'Jai Hind'. They transgressed the senseless forms of caste and creed and recognised themselves solely as Indians. It was clear that patriotism ran deep in their blood, and nothing deterred them from serving their motherland. Ram retired from his services in the year 2001. His elder son, named Arik, joined the army in 2006 and was deployed at an army camp situated along the LAC (Line of Actual Control, an international border separating the Chinese territory from the Indian part).
Within a few months of joining the army, Arik faced a tragic fate. The Chinese troops launched an ambush at the Indian camps across the border. The whole centre was panic-stricken, and the soldiers had no time to defend themselves nor attack the invading forces. The intelligence and the espionage department had failed to sense the sabre-rattling along the borders. The Indian army faced a significant number of casualties. Arik was witnessing a war for the first time. With no proper communication system already established, the troops had no choice but to retaliate without any strategy in place. There was no adequate access to the armouries as well. There was chaos everywhere, and the men in uniform were looking out for a way to fight back.
The chaos led to something unexpected. A few army men, including Arik, started making weapons out of the steel fences on the demarcation line. They crafted the fence wires into spear-shaped weapons and launched them with total momentum at their Chinese counterparts. Although this did not significantly affect the opposition, it garnered more strength and kept the enemies engaged. This engagement between the troops gave a window for the other Indian soldiers to launch their missiles and take off the military helicopters.
During this unplanned assault on the enemies, Arik faced several brutal injuries. Several bullets pierced his legs, and he could no longer stand upright, let alone fire a rifle or throw the newly crafted weapon. He was immediately evacuated to a haven away from the war. A battlefield doctor was examining him. His lower abdomen and legs were bleeding profusely, with the flesh jutting out his quadriceps. Arik knew that blood was lost and would eventually succumb to his injuries. Fleeting thoughts of his family back home, his fellow soldiers in the warzone and his friends who had achieved martyrdom right in front of his eyes were crossing his mind. Things started to blackout as he was inching closer to death. His thoughts began fading, and in a low, mellow voice, he said, "Jai Hind", and shut his eyes once and for all.
The war went on for hours until both sides agreed to a ceasefire. Colossal destruction happened on both sides. An enormous number of corpses lay on the ground. The Indian army was completely shattered by what had just happened. After the physically exhausting battle, the emotionally draining instances followed. So many dead bodies were being picked up and kept in the vans. Many others were brutally injured, weeping in pain. Medical vans were coming back-to-back, picking up the wounded on the stretchers. Many soldiers who didn't get severely hurt were still patrolling the areas as the threat was not completely gone. Fear lingered in their minds as they anticipated their enemies to revolt anytime.
After two days, the bodies of the martyred soldiers were transported to their respective hometowns by the army. As Arik's body arrived at his house, his family came out with tears flooding from their eyes. The demise summoned the whole village to their place. His body was wrapped in the Indian flag and kept in dry ice inside a casket. Ram saw his son and lifted his right hand to salute in reverence. As he shut his eyes, tears fell, and he murmured, "Jai hind son! You have done us proud. May your soul find purpose once again."
After ten days of rituals, another young man from the village got recruited into the army. His entire family had come to the railway station to bid him adieu. His mother caressed him and kissed him on the forehead. All his relatives hugged him and wished him luck. The train made the final boarding call, and the young man looked at his father. His father embraced him and touched the name tag on his uniform. He said, "Shyam Srinivasan, never back down and fight for the country till your last breath." Yes, the man was none other than Arik Srinivasan's younger brother and Ram Srinivasan's younger son.
Even after losing his elder son in a war, Ram did not hesitate to send his younger son to the army, showing true patriotism. Serving our country is our most important duty, and Ram did not relinquish his duties.
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