Capt Vikram Batra’s memories live on
Girdhari Lal Batra, father of Captain Vikram Batra, holds his son's Yamaha RX100 bike and the letters
in his hands. Hidden under a checkered tablecloth in an inconspicuous parking lot, the Yamaha RX100 was all the rage in the 80s and early 90s and is rarely ridden, but its owner treasures it.
Just the sight of it brings back memories of simpler times for GL Batra, father of Kargil martyr and Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardee Captain Vikram Batra. They are a simple Hindu Punjabi family consisting of educationist Girdhari Lal Batra and Kamal Kanta Batra with twin sons Vikram. Vikas and his two daughters Seema and Nutan live in Palampur, a small mountain town.
His elder son Vikram, remembered as a cheerful but disciplined boy, moved to Chandigarh to pursue a science degree at DAV College, Sector 10, where he enrolled in the National Cadet Corps and so began his storied journey.
Beers of the Past
His father Vikram remembers him as being passionate about every task he undertook. "Be it karate, table tennis or debating competitions at school or in his role as an NCC cadet in college, he always gave his best," says a still-healthy GL Batra as he climbs the spiral staircase to his apartment.
After being rated the best NCC cadet in North India and selected to march in the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, Vikram considered joining the merchant navy.
"He changed his mind at the last minute and told his mother, 'I want to make something of myself,'" his father recalls, adding that after a pensive night in the hostel, his son and his friends decided to join the army.
The heroic tale that followed is well documented. The 13th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles' Delta Company captured Point 5140, pushing back Pakistani forces led by Vikram Batra, who has since been promoted to captain.
"He always had leadership qualities. Even when he was younger, his friends often followed his example. He was also brave. "I remember him jumping from a school bus after the door broke and a girl fell out," his father recalls.
The Captain hoisted the tricolour at Point 5140 and recited the now famous slogan "Yeh Dil Mange More (Hearts Want More)" before volunteering for another successful mission, the capture of Point 4875. In the attack he killed five Pakistani soldiers. In hand-to-hand combat he destroyed a machine gun nest, giving the Indian forces a major strategic advantage at a critical moment.
Here the Captain was shot in the chest by an enemy sniper during an evacuation operation of a wounded company member.
"Just before tensions began in Kargil, Vikram was at home. He often went with friends to Joy Restaurant for coffee. His friend Amit once told him to be careful in the face of impending danger. Vikram's immediate response was, "Either I hoist the tricolour or come back wrapped in it. He did both. I am extremely proud," he said, recalling the moment he received a congratulatory call from then Chief of Army Staff Gen. Malik Vikram on his victory at Peak 5140.
Trinkets to save
Over the years, the family has found ways to keep his memory alive. His elder brother Vikas occasionally takes to the road on his old RX100, while their father looks over the letters he wrote to them from the battlefield.
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