Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated in the memory of soldiers who sacrificed their life in the Kargil war on 26th of July every year. The Kargil War continued for more than 2 and a half months from May 3 1999 to July 26 1999 after Pakistani troops were identified by Indian soldiers at the top of the numbing Kargil hills in Ladakh. This day memorialises the success of ‘Operation Vijay’ i.e. recapturing the Indian territories which was captured by the Pakistani interferer in the Kargil-Drass sector in 1999.
Celebrations of the Kargil Vijay Diwas:
The main celebration of the day is done at New Delhi, the Prime Minister pays respects and homage at the Amar Jawan Jyoti which is the ultimate symbol of sacrifice and courage of all our soldiers. The Kargil War memorial in Ladakh is lit up with lamps to honour the Indian victory and honouring our heroes. Many schools and colleges across the country celebrate this day in a domestic manner to pay tribute and celebrate the valour our warriors showed.
Tributes at Amar Jawan Jyoti
Although the war is well known to all of us here are some lesser known facts of the event:
2. Both the nations were a part of Shimla Agreement which states that no armed conflict shall be taken on the said boundary, and yet the war took place.
3. A major part of Kargil War was Safed Sagar. At the height of 32000 feet air powers were used for the first time by weekly trained pilots and engineers.
4. Atal Bihari Vajpayee drove the National Democratic Alliance to win 303 seats in the 13th election of Lok Sabha as a consequence of the Kargil War.
5. It is assumed that the war was held without any acknowledgement of the then Prime minister of Pakistan Nawas Sharif and plotted by General Pervez Musharraf then army chief of Pakistan.
Theme of Kargil Vijay Diwas :
2023s Theme is yet to be declared but the theme for last to last year i.e. 2021, was "Remember, Rejoice and Renew". Every citizen of India in remembrance of great warriors, rejoices the victory of Kargil and renews our resolutions to safeguard the honour of tricolour.
Kargil War Memorial, Ladakh
Remembering the bravehearts:
The Gallantry awards of the Indian Government were given to the officers who played a major role in the war such as, Grenadier yogendra singh yadav, Lieutenant Vikram Singh Batra, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, Captain Anuj Nayyar and many to add on received the Param Vir chakra, Maha vir chakra etc.
Another empowering contribution was of the Kargil girl Gunjan Saxena who was the only woman in the Indian Armed Forces who flew into war zones in the Kargil War. Her courage definitely inspired more women to be part of the armed forces and show their strength in a majority male centric profession.
Impact of war on India :-
Even though India won the war, it still had a grave impact on us internally;
Despite the win a vanquishing impact was the loss of over 527 Indian soldiers and more than 1300 injured! The loss of life in a humanistic sense is something both sides of the war suffered from.
An unforeseen spike in the stock market was seen after the Kargil war. It rose between the range of 25 to 30 per cent. Government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee set up an inquiry committee which was chaired by analyst Subramanian.
The power which was led by this committee was to interview any of the members from current or past alliance with Indian security. Indian-US relations improved as US valued Indian attempts to not to let go war beyond limited geographic area.
Memorial of the Martyrs.
FAQs. :-
What reason led the kargil war to happen?
A bit of tension/conflict between India & Pakistan led infiltrators of Pakistani troops attempting to capture territory on the LOC of India's side.
What has changed after the Kargil War?
The Indian government increased its spendings on defence amenities at the cost of risk indicators or internal corruption.
A Thought to conclude, Is just one day of honour enough?:
2022 marks 23 years of the Kargil victory, this year as well; tributes will be paid, lamps will be lit, speeches will be given and so on, but yet the question arises, is one day enough to remember our soldiers? Or is just lighting lamps enough? Realising the duty and nationalism as a common citizen and contributing utmost to the country every single day even at a domestic level would be the real respect to our heroes is what we believe, to make sure we as a nation stand united amongst ourselves first and create a belief that we are one is a goal still to achieve. Let us know what you feel about this in the comments!
Thank you for reading!
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