The sky had been filled with dust as more bombs were being thrown. Missiles were being launched. Some were gathering our dead mates while others were running to find a cover and attack the enemy. The sound of the bullets being fired was increasing every second. The enemies were closing in on us.
I was standing behind a small house like structure, made of bricks and mud. The visibility was nil. Just when I was standing there, looking for my own team mates, a body came flying down near my legs. I came close to the body and as I saw it, tears started rolling down my cheeks. Their ballistic missile had done the trick. It was Lieutenant Hardeep Singh. He was the closest I had for a friend. The Indian Army just lost it's most valuable asset. I gathered myself up. Rage had taken over my nerves. I could only see dead bodies and hear the sounds of bomb blast.
I was left with two reloads and five hand grenades. I made eight holes in four different directions through which I could see and fire. I saw the enemy coming towards the house in packs of three. Thanks to the fog, for them the visibility was still a problem. I started firing. I killed four packs but now, the dust had began to clear. They now saw the house and were charging right towards it, towards me. I ran out of the house to find a different cover. I found a big stone and hid behind it. As they came near the house, I threw two grenades back to back and for that one moment, I was relieved. But as I turned around, an enemy personnel was standing behind, holding his gun point right at my forehead.
From relief to death, in those 5 seconds, I lived through everything. He started to make me walk towards their land. But thanks to God, I had kept two big stones within my pocket while I was taking cover. With a sudden rush, I grabbed his gun from the gun point and hit him hard on the head. He fell down. Dead I stood there. My eyes couldn't shift from the dead body. The face had a different glow. He died for his country, his people. Even though he was an enemy, I had respect for the soldier in him.
I saw the sky once again and then, I ran. I ran as hard as I could. Not from the enemy, but for the freedom. I ran to release everything I had kept within me. I ran towards peace.
Being a soldier had been my dream from the time I was in school. Protecting our country, serving our citizens, living in an extremely volatile environment, dealing with the constant changes in the situation, facing death.... It all attracted me.
But I chose to be a soldier because it made me understand and value freedom. Freedom is the most difficult thing to sustain. One wrong move and you can lose it for good. Freedom is not just about doing what you feel like, living how you want it to be... Freedom is to be able to think for your own self and to be able to differentiate the right from the wrong and move ahead towards the ultimate goal one sets for oneself.
The secret to happiness is freedom and secret to freedom is courage. The Indian Army has taught me how to live life without fear, how to have courage in the most dreaded and dying times and most importantly, it taught me what freedom is.
I request you, Don’t miss the opportunity to avail your presence for the event on 31st January 2018 @ NSCI DOME Worli, Mumbai, 6:00 PM onwards to feel proud by paying tributes to soldiers of the Indian Army.
