CHANDIGARH: To commemorate the 18th anniversary of the Kargil War of 1999 and to honour of its martyr Capt. Saurabh Kalia, a war memorial will be built in his hometown Palampur in Himachal Pradesh.
The war memorial will be built at Saurabh Van Vihar on the bank of snow-fed Neugel Khad in Kwat village. A series of statues in the museum will depict the Kargil War story. The museum is dedicated to Kargil’s first martyr Capt. Saurabh Kalia of 4 Jat Regiment, who—along with Sepoys Arjunram Baswana, Mula Ram Bidiasar, Naresh Singh Sinsinwar, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria and Bhika Ram Mudh—was captured alive and tortured by Pakistani soldiers.
The project was conceived by the late founder and creator of Chandigarh’s trademark Rock Garden, Nek Chand. Following his demise, his son Anuj Saini pushed for the project. BJP MP from Kangra, Shanta Kumar, had invited the father-son duo to build the memorial.
“Through the landscaping, we have tried to showcase how the Kargil War was fought on the mountain peaks and how our brave army personnel pushed Pakistani intruders back. Miniature mountains show how our soldiers fought on them,” says Saini.
The highest rock is named Tiger Hill, the highest peak in the Drass-Kargil sector and the most famous theatre of the war.
“When Capt. Saurabh Kalia’s body was brought to Palampur, thousands of people gathered to receive it. His mother had whispered in my ear asking for a memorial in her son’s honour. That is how this project began,” says Kumar.
She gave Rs 40 lakh from her MPLAD fund and the state government contributed Rs 15 lakh. For Saurabh Van Vihar’s beautification, Kumar has given Rs 2.50 crore from her MPLAD fund, and another MP contributed Rs 25 lakh. The Centre has just sanctioned Rs 2crore for the project.
“After our son’s death, we had wished for a memorial in his name. We are glad that Nek Chand and Anuj Saini came up with the concept of a war memorial,” says N K Kalia, father of Capt. Saurabh Kalia.