What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
DRASS/KARGIL: Rakhi is meant to celebrate the beautiful relationship between a brother and a sister. But for Asha Ahluwalia, Rakhi brings the painful memories of her heroic brother Major Sudhir Walia who fought during the Kargil War.
While Major Walia survived the war, he died a month later fighting the terrorists in the jungles of Hafrudal in Kupwara. Before making the supreme sacrifice, Major Walia and his team of valiant warriors killed 11 terrorists.
“Rakhi is around the corner. I still remember him,” tears rolled out of Ahluwalia’s eyes as she spoke with The New Indian at the Amar Jawan Jyoti Memorial in Drass. “My brother was so young when he sacrificed his life for our country,” she recalled while trying her best to check her emotions.
Major Walia was awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously. He was also decorated with Sena Medal twice for the valour shown in Kargil.
“Rakhi aane wali hai, ek behan ko usse bada dukh kya hoga (and she broke down),” Ahluwalia said. “My brother had saved all my ‘rakhis’ that I sent him in an iron box. The box was opened with the permission of our parents years after his martyrdom,” she added.
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Ahluwalia also revealed that Major Walia was posted as ADC of General Ved Prakash Malik. But he was always ready to go to battle. “He voluntarily participated in the Kargil war after requesting from his seniors. He was a brave man. We still miss him a lot,” Ahluwalia revealed.
“I wanted to come here for the past several years but could not get the chance. Today, I salute my brother and all soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our country,” Ahluwalia, who had come from Palampur in Himachal Pradesh along with her family, said.
