10 years after Kargil

I woke up groggy on a Sunday morning and after brushing my teeth, headed straight for the morning papers. The best part of a Sunday is that I can use the better part of the day reading. The newspapers had the usual political and entertainment titbits. Somewhere in the corner, was this piece about the nation readying itself for Vijay Diwas celebrations. Wow...it has been 10 years already since Operation Vijay! I felt some guilt pangs for needing the newspapers to remind me of this historic day. The news item, though small in size, covered the stories of war heroes, kins of martyrs and how life had changed for most during the past ten years. Supreme sacrifices....Capt Manoj Pandey, Capt Vikram Batra, Lance Naik Sanjay Kumar and so many more stories of supreme sacrifices. By the time I reached the end of the article I had a lump in my throat. We fight over our petty differences, sometimes frustrated when life doesn't offer us what we need....and then we have these Heroes standing so tall in front of us reminding us of what we need to stand up for everyday. I often wonder how the Martyrs would look at country today. Would they take immense pride in looking back at a Nation for whom they have sacrificed their lives or would they be turning in their graves? Do we brush aside the indifference shown by our countrymen with time towards the War Heroes as general systemic apathy or is there a larger bitter truth? No major events out here to commemorate the day; citizens carrying about with their general household activities! Where have we gone wrong? Israel, Germany, USA and many more countries have huge War Memorials to honour the Patriots. Where is ours?

Its time India wakes up and honours its heroes. Not by breastbeating and shouting slogans, but by standing up and recognising the sacrifices. I truly feel that each one of us can be a hero in our own way if we live a honest and virtuous life and be of utmost value of those around us! This is why days like Vijay Diwas should remain in our hearts always. And as Peter Parker's Aunt May says in the movie Spiderman "Everybody loves a Hero".