Noida: A photograph of Captain Vijayant Thapar in uniform, and of his younger self, flexing his muscles with a mischievous grin, his medals, commendations and certificates of various achievements preserved in glass casings at an open gallery at his residence in Noida, are among the remnants of the 22-year-old. These are objects his parents have clung to for years after he was killed in the Kargil War.
For them, they are painful reminders of what might have been. But they are also the touchstones of his sacrifice for the nation.
“These mementos are not just reminders of the past but anchors that keep us connected to our son. We say a little prayer in memory of him every morning, and believe that everything good that happens to us is because of him,” his father Colonel VN Thapar said.
“I believe Vijayant still lives in Kargil, and that is why I go there every year to meet him,” he added. Captain Vijayant was a part of an operation to capture a strategic post called “Knoll” in Drass sector, when he was killed in action, during the war.
The war, his father said, is a “golden page in Indian history”. “The war showed the entire nation what patriotism really means..,” he said, adding that Vijayant was the fourth generation army officer in the family, as his great grandfather, grandfather and father also served in the defence forces.
Vijayant’s mother Tripta said, “He died just as a soldier should – on the battlefield, with a rifle in hand, after completing the mission, getting hit by that one bullet from the enemy, and falling in his comrade’s arms. That is how my son laid his life for the country, and I am very proud of him.”
{{/usCountry}}Vijayant’s mother Tripta said, “He died just as a soldier should – on the battlefield, with a rifle in hand, after completing the mission, getting hit by that one bullet from the enemy, and falling in his comrade’s arms. That is how my son laid his life for the country, and I am very proud of him.”
{{/usCountry}}The slain Captain’s family is still in touch with Rukhsana, who was six years old when she met him in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kupwara after she lost her voice following her father’s killing by terrorists. Not only did Vijayant help her speak again, but asked his family to send money to Rukhsana’s family every month. “Vijayant believed that to be a good officer, you first have to be a good human being. We have fulfilled that promise and taken care of Rukhsana, who has completed her graduation and is going to get married soon,” Colonel Thapar said.
A busy road and an intersection in Noida have been named after Captain Thapar. “It is always the children who are known by their parents’ name and deeds. However, we, as parents, feel extremely proud to be known not by our names, but as Captain Vijayant Thapar’s parents,” his father said.