The Living Legends
Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav and Naib Subedar Bana Singh - Survivors Among Heroes
Of the 21 Param Vir Chakra recipients since independence, only three survived their actions to tell the tale. Today, two living legends - Subedar Major (Hon Capt) Yogendra Singh Yadav and Naib Subedar (Hon Lt) Bana Singh - carry the weight of representing all Param Veers. Their stories of life after superhuman courage, and their message to the nation, connect the past to the present.
The Living Witnesses
The Param Vir Chakra is typically awarded posthumously. The actions that merit India's highest gallantry award are almost always fatal - charging into machine gun fire, holding positions against overwhelming odds, continuing to fight with mortal wounds.
Of the 21 men who have received the PVC since 1947, 18 died in the actions that earned them the medal. Three survived.
Two are still with us today: Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Yogendra Singh Yadav, the hero of Tiger Hill in Kargil, and Naib Subedar (Honorary Lieutenant) Bana Singh, who captured Quaid Post on Siachen.
These two men carry a unique burden. They are living links to superhuman courage. They can speak of what it feels like to charge into certain death and somehow emerge alive. They represent not just their own stories but all 21 PVC recipients.
Their lives after battle - what they've done, what they've said, how they've borne the weight of legend - teach us as much as their acts of valor.
Yogendra Singh Yadav: The Boy from Aurangabad Ahir
The Making of a Grenadier
Yogendra Singh Yadav was born on May 10, 1980, in Aurangabad Ahir, a small village in Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh. His family were farmers - hardworking people who tilled the land and knew the value of labor.
From childhood, Yogendra was different. Stronger than other boys. More determined. When he decided at 16 to join the army, his family was surprised but supportive. Farming provided food; the army provided honor.
He joined 18 Grenadiers in 1996, a young soldier in one of India's most decorated regiments. The Grenadiers have a long history of producing heroes - their motto "Sarvada Shaktishali" (Always Powerful) would be tested like never before.
Yogendra trained hard, excelled in physical fitness, and dreamed of proving himself in combat. He didn't have to wait long.
Tiger Hill: July 4, 1999
When the Kargil War began in May 1999, Yogendra Singh Yadav was just 19 years old. He was selected for the Ghatak Platoon - the commando unit tasked with the most dangerous missions.