I am 19 Madras.
This was Lance Naik Hanamanthappa’s favourite line. He believed in the unit and his fellow men more than anything. “If I’m strong and tough, my battalion is strong and tough,” these were the words he always told his colleagues.
I owe my Sena medal to Hanamanthappa, which I got for eliminating a terrorist identified later as a hardcore cadre of the ULFA in Assam sector. Whenever I look at the medal on my chest, it only reminds me of him.
I can easily recall the day. It was November 25, 2009. As a battalion commander, I was leading the operation and he was the Scout and was protecting me inside the thick forest of Manas national forest, which comes under Chirang district of Assam. During that successful operation, we eliminated Mohan Rai, leader of the 709 battalion of ULFA. Koppad being the fittest person of the battalion, he was made Scout of our Quick Reaction Team. A Scout is the foremost guy of the team for launching an operation, so Koppad was the backbone of the QRT.
I shared a very special bond with him as both of us started our military career almost at the same time and have parallel experience.
He joined 19 Madras in 2003. A few months later, I joined after passing out from NDA. And in those 11 years of bonding, I have saw him grow from a 19-year -old young, enthusiastic and energetic soldier to a fit officer with endurance who could carry the pride and ethos of the regiment. Both of us served together in our initial posting in J&K till 2005 in Operation Rakshak, where we together carried out several successful operations against militants.
And our unit got Army commanders’ unit citation for the same. I believe, during this time, he realised what bravery is, especially when your emotions were running high.
But the real transformation from a young motivated soldier to a strong leader happened during our posting in Assam. He turned out to be the best soldier of the battalion. He was more or less involved in all major operations during Operation Rhino, in which our battalion had 24 kills under its name.
I would always call him a fighter. He always motivated younger soldiers to take a lot of pride in the unit’s traditions and history.
Hanamanthappa was loved by all for his bonding and subtle humour. Though he was slightly reserved, his colleagues always sought his opinion on important issues. He was a man of strong character, but equally an emotional person. I only saw him as team player and super motivated soul. He showed his character at the world’s highest battlefield — the Siachen glacier.
Not only a disciplined soldier, he was a good hockey player. I am proud of him and will miss him. For now, for me, I lost my buddy.
— As told to Pradip Sagar
(Major C Naren Babu is Company Commander of 19 Madras. An ace shooter of the Indian Army, now posted at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow)