The young widow - just 24 - had to push aside her own grief to care for the baby, who was born soon after. Her time with Suresh was short-lived, however, and three years after their wedding, while Manju was pregnant with their first child, Suresh died in the line of duty. In 1996, 21-year-old Manju got married to Suresh, a soldier in the Indian Army, and left her family and home in Jhapa, Nepal, to settle down in his hometown of Tarabari. Not surprisingly, therefore, Suman - who considers his father his role model - says he “wants to join the Army Medical Corps, after receiving my medical degree”.Īlso read: The lesser-known events in India and Pakistan leading up to the Kargil war of 1999
Sudesh too had been a part of the Kargil War and is still serving in the defence security corps. While Dinesh and Sudesh served in the 2 Naga Regiment, like their martyred brother, Naresh was a soldier in the Kumaon Regiment. If these were not enough to inspire the young Suman, to follow in his father’s footsteps when he grew up, he had three other examples in his uncles - Dinesh, Sudesh and Naresh Chhetri. The living room of the Chhetri house is decorated with photos of the fallen soldier and certificates of honour that he received posthumously. So I asked my mother ‘Where is my father? Why are we going alone?’ My mother said she will tell me about him once I grow up.” Chhetri has never seen his father, but for him the Kargil martyr is a “hero” and his “role model” | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint “When I was young, I would see the other students attending parent-teacher meetings with both their parents. In a subsequent meeting with ThePrint in Delhi, he gives an example of the times when he would miss his father. But the support from my mother, and living in a big joint family, compensated for that loss,” says Suman. “There were times when, as a child, I missed not having my father around. Though Suman never saw his father, his name, the stories he heard of Suresh from his family, and the old newspaper clippings narrating the martyr’s valour, have helped him forge a deep bond with his dead parent.
The family decided to name him Suman Suresh Kargil Chhetri - the baby’s middle names a reminder of the braveheart they had lost. It gives me a reason to talk about my father,” says Suman, with obvious pride.Īlso read: How Modi helped pressure US to sanction Pakistan during Kargil - new book on Vajpayee revealsĪlmost four months after her husband’s death, Manju delivered a son on 4 November 1999. Wherever I go, people ask me why I have ‘Kargil’ in my name.
But my family was thoughtful to give me my two middle names ‘Suresh Kargil’.
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