The people who protect the nation often give the supreme sacrifice, laying down their lives in service of the nation. And the families they leave behind continue on, bravely, in their memory.
Just like Major Padmapani Acharya and his family.
Major Padmapani Acharya was martyred during the Kargil war, and on June 28, 1999, he was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
He left behind a wife, Charulatha, who was 6 months pregnant at the time, and his daughter was born three months after his death.
In a letter he wrote to his father at the time, he talked about how it was an honor to serve the nation, while also asking him to read Mahabharata to his grandchild in the womb.
Dear Papa… don’t worry about casualties- it’s a professional hazard beyond our control. At least it is for a good cause. … Please tell manam (his mother) that combat is an honour of a lifetime and I would not think of anything less. What better way to serve the nation… Tell a story a day of the Mahabharata to Charu (his wife), so that your grandchild imbibes good values.
-The letter, as quoted in India Today
20 years later, in 2019, his daughter, Aparajita visited Kargil.
Aparajita has often talked about growing up without the physical presence of a father, but whose guidance has never been absent from her life – through the love and support of her family, his letters, and his memory.
I am him and people see him in me… I always remember having a happy family, they would always talk about my father, talk about happy memories, they never left even a single stone unturned when it came to keeping me happy and not letting me realise my father wasn’t alive.
-Aparajita to edexlive
It’s been over 20 years since this braveheart laid down his life for the nation, but his sacrifice can never be forgotten.