Yeh Dil Maange More

Captain Vikram Batra - Shershah of Kargil

Captain Vikram Batra became Kargil's most famous martyr. After capturing Point 5140, he volunteered to take Point 4875. His radio call sign was 'Shershah.' His famous words after victory: 'Yeh dil maange more!' He died saving a fellow officer. The story from Palampur - his twin brother, his girlfriend, his infectious enthusiasm.

The Boy from Palampur

In the shadow of the Dhauladhar mountains, in a small town called Palampur in Himachal Pradesh, twin boys were born on September 9, 1974, to G.L. Batra, a government school principal, and Kamal Kanta Batra. They named them Vikram and Vishal.

From the beginning, Vikram was different. Bursting with energy, always laughing, always leading. In school, he was the one who organized plays, led the band, captained the cricket team. He had a gift for making everyone around him feel alive.

His father wanted him to become an engineer. His mother hoped he'd join the merchant navy. But Vikram had seen the army officers who visited Palampur, and something about their bearing, their sense of purpose, had captured his imagination.

"I will either come back after hoisting the tricolor, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will come back for sure," he told his mother before leaving for the Indian Military Academy.

She never forgot those words.

Shershah

Vikram Batra graduated from IMA in December 1997 and was commissioned into the 13th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (13 JAK Rifles). His infectious enthusiasm quickly made him popular with both officers and jawans.

His radio call sign was "Shershah" - the Lion King.

The name was not given lightly. In the army, a soldier's call sign often reflects how his comrades see him. For Vikram Batra, there could be no other name. He led from the front, feared nothing, and charged into danger with the roar of a lion.

When war came to Kargil in May 1999, Shershah was ready.

Point 5140 - The First Victory

The 13 JAK Rifles were assigned Point 5140, a peak at 17,000 feet in the Drass sector. The Pakistanis had fortified it heavily. Previous assaults had failed with heavy casualties.

Captain Vikram Batra was given the mission.

On June 20, 1999, at 3:30 AM, Batra led his company up the mountain. The climb was treacherous - vertical in places, with the enemy watching from above. But Batra had studied the terrain carefully. He found a route the enemy hadn't expected.