It was in 1992 that my sister Vikram (he was a twin elder of 14 minutes) and I got a ticket to Dav College, Sector 10, Chandigarh.
We are very happy to experience the life of the hostel.
Even before coming to Chandigarh, we were amazed at men in military uniforms because our school was inside the military area at Palampur Bukit Station in Himachal Pradesh in our own first year, we made many friends from defense background.
Just like both of us, they dream of wearing a uniform.
For them, it’s more about setting up their father’s heritage or grandfather, but for us it means a new world, a new way of life and the desire to be like the legendary soldier that we see in the TV series titled ‘Param Veer Chakra’ every Sunday at Doordarshan while growing mature.
Of course, no one of us thinks that Vikram will be one of 21 recipients of the Chakra Param Veer, the highest Galantry award in India on the battlefield.
The first step taken by Vikram to fulfill his military dream joined Corps National Cadet (NCC), Wing Wing at Dav College.
That means absorbing the basics such as discipline, professionalism, courage, fear, friendship, building secular prospects and leadership nature.
He attended camps such as DCAT-1 and DCAT-2 and were superior, thus ordering his bed for the most prestigious Republican Day Parade on January 26, 1994 in Raj-Path.
NCC also delivered it with a prestigious ‘C’ certificate.
The next step involves a serious study to delete Combined Defense Services (CDS) examinations.
In January 1996, news came that we both had cleared written tests.
It was a celebration time but the service selection board (SSB) was to follow and there was no one minute to waste.
We joined the training academy near Chandigarh for preparation and also took a session from a retired officer in Hisar’s Army of Haryana.
On March 12, 1996, Vikram reported in 19-SSB Allahabad and I reported on March 14 at the 18-SSB Allahabad.
Four days later, there was a real celebration into one of the four cadets chosen from a set of 32 aspirants.
In fact, when the final reward list came, he was ranked 50th.
We do not know that the name Vikram will be written into the history of Indian soldiers in gold letters and the entire nation will remember it with a sign of his call.
– Sher Shah.
His famous words ‘Yeh Dil Maange was more’ at the height of the manifestation of 17,000 feet still resounding when I thought about it.
The author is Twin Brother Cargil War Hero Captain Vikram Batra, PVC, 13 JAK Rifle