Pedalling for patriots: 3,000 kms to Kargil

NCC officer Krishnan A Nair recalls cycling from Bengaluru to the Kargil War Memorial in Dras to celebrate India’s war heroes

On May 29 this year, a couple of young men embarked upon a cycle from Bengaluru to the Kargil War Memorial in Dras, Ladakh. Fifty-five days and 3,285km later, Krishnan A Nair and Peddi Sai Kaushik Reddy finally came face to face with their destination.

Krishnan A Nair and Peddi Sai Kaushik Reddy embark on the 3,000 kms journey to Kargil

Ask Nair about the journey and the challenges it brought, and the NCC officer says, “We took the NH44 (Kanyakumari-Srinagar highway). We were hoping that the monsoons wouldn’t hit until later but we faced a lot of challenges. By the time we reached Punjab, it was too flooded and we almost thought we wouldn’t make it. My friend got typhoid during the journey too. Even then, we had one motivation, which was to make it to the destination. We had a fire within us.”

Talking about the inspiration behind the ride, the 21-year-old says, “In January this year, I was reading a book about Captain Vijayant Thapar and was greatly inspired by him. He was awarded the Vir Chakra. I asked my mother to name five others who had won a gallantry award. She couldn’t name any, unfortunately, and when I asked my friends, they went blank, too. That’s when I realised that there’s a need for awareness, apart from just a day or two of attention for warriors who sacrificed their lives for our nation.”

Nair and Reddy have got VIP tickets to attend the wreath-laying ceremony (Kargil Vijay Diwas, July 26) this year. “We will proudly stand and salute in our NCC uniforms!” the BBA student gushes.

Naveen Kumar R, associate NCC officer at MS Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce, where Nair is a student, shares, “Krishnan came to me with this idea and I was very excited to mentor him. We got the college’s help to set the ball rolling. During his journey, our NCC alumni network helped the boys with boarding, food and other facilities. Even defence personnel stationed in Kargil gave the boys homely treatment when they reached there.”