A Letter addressed to PM, RM, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Sh. LK Advani is circulated herewith.
…………………. Date: 22 Jul 2009 1. I am enclosing a. poem “Kargil” by Ms Shyam Kumari. The feelings expressed in the poem are the feelings of the entire nation towards our soldieries, martyrs and the valiant Defence Forces of India. 2. Sir, I wish to highlight that feelings of patriotism and love for the Defence Forces are today at its peak when we commemorate the completion of 10 years of *“Kargil War”*. 3. It is with a heavy heart that I as Vice Chairman of Indian Ex Servicemen Movement have to convey these feelings of the Nation and the Defence Forces to you as we are deeply anguished by the total apathy shown by the Govt in honoring the martyrs of Kargil and others who fought and survived. The Govt should have celebrated this hard toiled victory in an appropriate and dignified manner not with standing the views of Mr. Rashid Alvi. …… Maj Gen (Retd) Satbir Singh, SM *Kargil* Kargil is not the name of a far-off place, Kargil is not the name of a high mountain ridge, Kargil is a place of pilgrimage Where wooing death as one would a sweetheart, With the laughter of Rudra in their eyes, Ever ready to fling their lives, gnawing hunger And biting cold, they faced with a smile, Where to defend Mother India, her brave sons die. A cluster of grenades to their waists they tie As they struggle for a toe-hold, Crawling up the sheer slopes Of those snow-covered harsh ranges. To lighten their load they throw away their daily meal, To be able to carry some more ammunition And extra grenades to blow up those enemy bunkers, Which stealthily Pakistan had made And thus had our trust been sorely betrayed. For he went to them -- Atal of India, the past to forgive And forget with hands outstretched to embrace and befriend. While they prepared to stab us in the back, To wound our trust with a forward thrust in India . Will Gods ever pardon what they have done? Today to the Indian annals of sacrifice and self-immolation, Are added new chapters, as our brave soldiers Lay mutilated by their inhuman captors. Today, the Tricolour of India Flies again from those peaks snow-bound And the full-throated war-cry of India 's hero-warriors On those ranges will always reverberate and rebound. Then hundreds of pilgrim feet will brave the arduous way To light incense and to lay wreaths on the sacred spots Where they fell, the valiant sons of Mother India. Kargil has become a hallowed name, etched in pain Spoken with pride, by patriots India-wide. After Kargil India will always be wary The torch of constant vigil will it carry. Kargil has ignited a new fire In our hearts an ardent desire To wager all for the Mother's defense Petty living no more makes any sense. Today we need to answer the call of the Mother All else will come thereafter. Now the youth of India vie with each-other As to who will fling first one's life on India 's altar And who will first have the honour Of being a martyr? Many try to be the first to die for the country. O Kargil! thanks to you, a new spirit has been kindled In state after state in person after person; Love for the country, which had alas grown dim Now burns bright and the Rajputs' ideal In India 's daughters and sons is once more alight. Be wary, O enemy! Indians arise, India will not be beguiled again It will never be taken in again. Kargil reminds us of dark perfidy and of sombre sacrifice. The nation pays homage to the Indian army To its brave way of life, to its readiness to die. Shyam Kumari Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry June 30 1999
