THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “It was a particular task that I had to undertake. I had to crawl on the hard cement nearly for a mile and come back. On the Pakistan side, there was an approach road and all. The target was a 52-ft tower, with viewpoints every 10 ft. From there, they could observe everything. The primary task was to destroy that tower. It was the most difficult thing,” recollected Lt Col (retd) N Chandrasekharan Nair to TNIE.
Lt Col (retd) N Chandrasekharan Nair, the first military officer in the state to receive the coveted military honour, Vir Chakra, for his service in the India-Pakistan war of 1965, at the age of 31, has turned 90.
It was in 1964 that he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Madras Engineers Group. Dera Baba Nanak was the centre stage of the war then. It was being defended by the Madras Regiments, the Gorkha Regiments and the Raj Rifles. “He was posted to Dera Baba Nanak, a sacred place of the Sikhs, on the banks of River Ravi. The Madras Engineers had the task of providing necessary logistic and technical support to those on the frontline.
They were in charge of the area that was less than a couple of kilometres from the watchtowers and bunkers of the enemy. Removing obstacles like mines and explosives, constructing instant bridges and roads and destroying enemy installations were the responsibilities of the Madras Engineer Group. He executed the task with precision,” said Professor Oommen Varghese, a long-term acquaintance of Lt Col Nair.
The young officer was later chosen for Vir Chakra for his display of exemplary courage. In 1989, he retired as a lieutenant colonel and now stays at Kumarapuram in the state capital. In connection with his 90th birthday, Universal Study Circle is organising major celebrations in the city on Friday. K Muraleedharan, MP, will inaugurate the celebrations at the Press Club auditorium at 4 pm.