The book captures Anuj's journey of barely twenty-three years, during which he transformed from a reserved but righteous child to a gem of a military professional.
Co-author Meena Nayyar says, "I don't need anything in this world but to see my son's face once more. He left us too soon. Writing this book is the least I could have done for him. His memories will forever be preserved in these pages."
Co-author Himmat Singh Shekhawat says, "Our men in uniform perform selfless acts of valor without asking anything in return. These brave men and women should be honoured for their sacrifice. The freedom and liberty we enjoy is much because of them who dedicate their lives to protecting the nation."
ABOUT THE BOOK
In May 1999, the Kargil insurgency was still being viewed as a routine affair. No one quite understood the magnitude of the situation. However, it soon emerged that infiltrators had captured high-altitude posts vacated by Indian soldiers during the winter months and thus had a tactical upper hand, while the Indian Army struggled with intelligence.
For the next month or so, Capt. Anuj Nayyar and the men of 17 Jat went on various reconnaissance missions in the boulder-strewn Drass sector where enemy troops had set up base. They fought relentlessly in a gruesome battle for two nights in July, before securing the peak that was critical to the success of Operation Vijay and India's victory in Kargil. Amid heavy artillery and mortar fire, they destroyed four enemy bunkers and neutralized tens of infiltrators in close combat. During the attack on the fourth bunker, the twenty-three-year-old captain was hit by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade, dying instantly but saving the lives of fifteen men in the process, who eventually finished the mission and hoisted the Indian flag on the peak.
For motivating his command by personal example and going beyond the call of duty, Capt. Anuj Nayyar was awarded India's second-highest gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra, in 2000.
This is his story.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Meena Nayyar is the mother Capt. Anuj Nayyar, MVC - a retired librarian of Delhi University, a protective mother and a loving wife. For almost two decades, she had locked Anuj away in her memories. The pain of losing her son was too much to talk about, let alone write a book. It was only after she met Himmat that she started remembering him openly, without guilt. She continues to run Kargil Heights Filling Station as a tribute to her brave son.
Himmat Singh Shekhawat has made it his life's mission to help the families of fallen soldiers and share their stories with the world. Along with Shivaditay Modi, he is the founder of Rashtriya Riders, a biking group that pays tribute to the men and women in uniform. He is currently working with MakeMyTrip.
For more information, please contact Vandana Rathore at vandana.rathore@harpercollins.co.in
And Aman Arora at aman.arora@harpercollins.co.in
HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints.
Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live! Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award.
HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Harvard University Press, Gallup Press, Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins India is now the recipient of five Publisher of the Year Awards - In 2021 and 2015 at the Publishing Next Industry Awards, and in 2021, 2018 and 2016 at Tata Literature Live. HarperCollins India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers.
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( With inputs from ANI )
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