Drass, Jul 26: A group of motorcyclists consisting of serving officers and military veterans completed a nearly 1,900-kilometre expedition from Delhi to Dras on the 27th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on Sunday.
The 13-day expedition began on July 14 as a solemn tribute to the bravehearts of the 1999 war.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged in the team as men and women riders rode past the entrance of the Kargil War Memorial on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway, a stretch that was one of the focal points during the Kargil conflict.
The commemorative expedition — “Shaurya Vijay Yatra” with the motto “One Ride, One Nation, One Salute” — began from the National War Memorial in Delhi and saw the participation of about 30 riders, including serving and retired defence personnel.
The riders carried an urn containing the National War Memorial’s sacred soil, which was offered to the defence minister, who in turn handed it to the 8 Mountain Division, which will offer it in Kargil in memory of the fallen heroes.
The motorcycle expedition was carried out as part of the nationwide celebrations marking 27 years since “Operation Vijay” in 1999.
The team traversed through the demanding terrains of the northern Himalayas to honour the courage, resolve and supreme sacrifice of the Indian soldiers who ensured victory in the Kargil war.
“When the soil from here (National War Memorial) unites with the one in Kargil (at Dras memorial), it would symbolise the confluence of the reverence of the nation’s current generation and the valour of the nation’s heroes,” Singh had said at the flagging-off event in Delhi.
En route, the riders paid homage to bravehearts at prominent military memorials, including the Chandimandir War Memorial, Rezang La War Memorial and Leh War Memorial.
They also interacted with “Veer Naris”, recognising their courage and resilience, and after reaching Dras, paid respect to the fallen heroes at the Kargil War Memorial.
Among the participants were retired IAF officer and Kargil war veteran Group Captain Sanjay Misra and his wife Priya Misra, who recounted their experiences of the “extraordinary journey”.
Both concurred that negotiating through different terrains and facing changing weather conditions were the major challenges during the ride.
Interacting with PTI, Misra said it is always an emotional moment visiting this place, which stands in honour of “our fallen brothers”.
The retired officer said he was part of the “Operation Safed Sagar” launched by the IAF to provide aerial support to the Indian Army during the Kargil war.
“For me, it’s like a pilgrimage. Whenever I get a chance, I come here. It’s an opportunity to remember people who have given us the peace, and peace doesn’t come easy. There is a price to pay. The fact that you and I are talking here, the same place where the bombs were falling, somebody has made it possible,” said Misra, a fighter pilot who retired in 2014.
He said that, hence, it is a duty to remember them.
Remembering the Kargil heroes is also important “for the new generation, which has that ‘jazbah’ (zeal) and patriotism in them, to get a little direction, to get that motivation, because they have to take the nation forward, make it the best nation in the world,” he added.
A vintage MiG-21 jet was displayed on the verdant lawns of the memorial, added to the site in 2013.
“The plane you see there (on the lawn) was the very plane I flew for almost 15 years, exact tail number — C 1538,” Misra said.
