29 May 1999: Remembering Kargil War Martyr Major M Saravanan, who gave his today for our tomorrow

 

Major M Saravanan was the Company Commander of one of the companies of 1 BIHAR launched in the Battalion attack on Point 4268 in the Batalik Sector during OPERATION VIJAY.

 

Born on 10 Aug 1972 in Rameshwaram in Tamilnadu. son of an army officer, Major Saravanan had made up his mind to follow in the footsteps of his father since his childhood.

 

He graduated from the OTA in 1995 and was commissioned into 1 Bihar of the Bihar Regiment, a regiment known for its numerous battle honours. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1996 and major in 1999.

 

Major M Saravanan’s unit was moved from Assam to Jammu & Kashmir for the Kargil operation in 1999. He wrote to his mother that he had been waiting for just such an opportunity and would bring home a “Vir Chakra”.

 

Operation Vijay Kargil: 29 May 1999

 

On the night of May 28, 1999, Major Sarvanan was assigned the task of capturing a well-fortified Pakistani position at 14,229 feet (4,337 m) in the Batalik sector. He and his men launched an attack at 04:00. Despite intensive firing from the enemy with artillery and automatic weapons they charged into a volley of bullets. Saravanan fired a rocket launcher into the enemy position that killed two enemy soldiers. During the combat, he was hit by sharpnel and injured but continued fighting. His commanding officer ordered him to retreat because too many Indian soldiers had been injured. 'Genghis Khan fall back,' came the order. 'Not today sir, we are very close to the objective,' replied Saravanan who was code named Genghis Khan. He killed two more invaders but this time he was hit by a bullet in the head at 06:30, his body nestled in the snow.

 

The officer displayed exceptional bravery, valour and exemplary leadership, fighting from front, destroying two enemy sangars and killing two enemy soldiers before laying his life for the Motherland and in the process eliminating an important enemy position.

 

The Vir Chakra was awarded to Saravanan posthumously and presented to his mother by President K. R. Narayanan. Its citation reads: "For our tomorrow..... he gave his today......".