SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/sunday-magazine Homage to Heroes of Kargil war on 26 Jul 1999 after having fought war from 03 May and suffered serious bullet injuries to which he suc- 1999 to 26 July 1999. Since then, 26 July is observed cumbed beyond enemy lines. He was the second army as Kargil Vijay Diwas to commemorate the sacrifices officer to be martyred in Kargil war. He was posthu- made by 527 soldiers in the war. Indian Army built mously awarded Maha Vir Chakra for his bravery. war memorial in the Drass town on National Highway * Major Vivek Gupta of 2 Rajputana Rifles was five kilometers away from the city center across the awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for his Tiger hills to commemorate Kargil War. The memori- inspiring leadership and bravery that ultimately led to al features the Captain Manoj Pandey gallery, which the capture of Toliling Top during Kargil war. commemorates young officer who was posthumously * Captain N Kenguruse of ASC 2 Raj Rifle took awarded Param Vir Chakra. Scheduled visit of the responsibility of the daring commando mission of Supreme Commander of Defence Forces, the attacking a well sited enemy machine gun position, on President of India, to War Memorial at Drass on Kargil a cliff face, which was heavily interfering with all the Vijay Diwas for paying homage approaches to the main to brave soldiers who attained objective of the martyrdom while defending Battalion and single their motherland would certain- Army built war memorial handedly neutralized ly convey reverence of the enemy position and for nation to these martyrs for their in the Drass town on his act of daring brav- supreme sacrifice. On this day, ery, he was posthu- let us join to pay due respect to National Highway five mously awarded Maha the heroes of Kargil War who Vir Chakra. were honored with gallantry kilometers away from the * Lieutenant awards for their acts of excep- Keishing Clifford tional bravery. city center across the Tiger Nongrum of 12 JAK LI * Captain Vikram Batra of 13 was posthumously Jammu and Kashmir Rifles died hills to commemorate awarded Maha Vir fighting Pakistan forces during Chakra for his courage the Kargil war in 1999 at the age Kargil War. and bravery in leading of 24. He was awarded Param his column over the Vir Chakra posthumously. nearly impossible ver- Captain Batra fondly called the tical cliff feature. He Tiger of Drass, the Lion of Kargil, the Kargil hero and fought valiantly until he succumbed to his injuries. even Pakistanis called him Sher Shah after the fero- * Lieutenant Balwan Singh of 18 Grenadiers was the cious warrior king of Medieval India. Going into bat- youngest officer with three months service to under- tle, he had said "I will either come back after raising take his task with single minded determination. The the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it". inspirational leader of the officer, his courage, and his * Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey of 1/11 Gorkha bravery was instrumental in capture of Tiger Hill. He Regiment attained martyrdom while defending moth- was awarded Maha Vir Chakra for his courage and erland during Kargil war. He was awarded Param Vir bravery. Chakra posthumously for his audacious courage and * Naik Digendra Kumar of 2 RAL RIF was the com- leadership during Kargil war 1999. mander of the light Machine gun Group during asssu- * Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav of 18 Grenadiers alt on the Tololing feature on Drass Sector. It was his Wg Cdr Mahesh Chander Sudan It has been proved again and again that Indian sol- was awarded highest military decoration, Param Vir bravery and courage that the Assault Group was able diers defend their motherland with exceptional valour Chakra, for his exception bravery and courage dis- to capture the objective. He was awarded Maha Vir At the outset, I would prefer to quote and bravery against any misadventure raised to hurt played during Kargil war 1999 . In an interview with Chakra, the second highest military decoration in Allen West, "we must never forget why the sanctity of borders, let it be in any form, shape, size media, he expressed that a soldier does not think twice 1999. or strength, and ever fulfilled their commitment even we have and why we need four military. before risking his life. * These are the stories of some of the Kargil Heroes at the peril of their lives. In the winters of 1998-99, * Rifleman Sanjay Kumar of 13 JAK Rifle is the who fought the battle with bravery and courage and Our armed forces existsolely to ensure the Pakistan Army crossed LOC and occupied numer- youngest of the three surviving Param Vir Chakra made India proud. Their sacrifice will never be forget- our nation is safe. So that each and ous heights along the roads connecting Leh and awardees. He displayed exceptional courage in wiping table and therefore, Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on Ladakh to Srinagar and this misadventure of the out an enemy bunker single handedly during Kargil War. 26 July to commemorate the sacrifices made by the every one of us can sleep soundly at adversary was dealt with severe fierce battles to * Major Rajesh Adhikari of 18 Grenadiers displayed soldiers in the Kargil war. They are the guardians of night. We have guardians at the gate''. retrieve the mischievously occupied territory from exemplary valour in recapturing Tololing, where he our freedom and it is well said that "Freedom is never enemy. Indian Army declared their mission successful was engaged in direct combat with enemy soldiers Free". NATIVE MANGO On way to extinction

Ashok Sharma With the coming of June and July, Desi mango trees laden first with raw fruit and then slowly ripening with bright colours present a spectac- ular look in Jammu region. Everywhere in the mango orchards and way- side trees, fragrance of ripe mangoes is a treat to the eyes and the soul. Mangoes can be seen everywhere-on the trees, under the trees, in the bas- kets in the markets spreading their aroma & making the atmosphere colourful. But sadly, the number of desi mango trees is shrinking with the passage of time. Old trees planted centuries ago are meeting their natural death & decay while few new saplings of Desi mango are being planted. Mango, whose botanical name is Mangifera indica, is the National fruit of India and mango tree is a native tree of India which is one of the major producers of mango in the world. It is believed to have been grown for about 6000 years. This tropical tree is also known as Aam in Hindi and Aamra in Sanskrit language. It can be relished by cutting into slices or just sucking the pulp. Most parts of this tree have medicinal and other prop- Mango vendors in Jammu City. erties. For instance, the bark of this tree is known to contain tannins which are primarily used for the purpose of dyeing cloth. The juice of the present on Mount Mandara. The mango tree is considered sacred by both poet Mirza Ghalib was fond of eating mangoes.'Aamo main buss do khu- tree of mango is a restorative tonic and can be used to relieve heat strokes. the Hindus and the Buddhists. Lord Buddha was once presented with a biya honi chahiye, ek meethe hon aur bohut saare hon." (Mangoes need Mango has miraculous properties-It cures all the three doshas -Vata, grove of mango trees, under which he would relax. Thus, the Buddhists to have two qualities, they need to be sweet and plenty.) he would say. Pittha and Kapha. The ripe mango causes heat and boosts the energy lev- consider the tree sacred. There are many legends associated with the Once Ghalib was out on a stroll with Bahadur Shah Zafar when they came els in the body. The unripe fruit tastes sour and has astringent and cool- mango tree. Once Lord Buddha ate a mango fruit, the seed of which He upon a mango orchard at Lal-Qila. Zafar noticed that Ghalib was looking ing properties. However, Ayurveda advises caution about eating raw man- gave to Ananda who was his favourite disciple, to plant at a chosen place. intently at one of the trees which were particularly laden with fruit. goes alone in large quantities, as it can increase the pitta dosha. The var- After Ananda had planted the seed, Buddha washed His hands over it and Perturbed, the emperor asked him why he was staring at the tree. Ghalib ious parts of the plant are used as an antiseptic, astringent, dentifrice, suddenly a mango plant sprang from it bearing flowers and fruits. is said to have replied,"Badshaah salamat maine buzurgo se suna hai,/ diaphoretic, vermifuge, laxative, diuretic and laxative. It has also the The daughter of the Sun God Surya was under the spell of a sorceress. Daane Daane pe likha hai Khaane waale ka naam. Dekh raha hoon kisi capacity to relieve dysentery, diarrhea, asthma, cough, bronchitis, hyper- She fell into a pond and became a lotus to escape the evil design of the sor- aam pr mere baap dada ka naam bhi likha hai kya." (Oh emperor, the tension, insomnia, anemia, rheumatism, hemorrhage, piles etc.It con- ceress. A King saw the lotus flower and desired to possess it. Even before wise say that each morsel has the name of the person who will eat it, I am tains saponins, triterpenes, hydrocarbons, xanthones, phenolics, he could possess it, the sorceress burnt the flower into ashes. From the seeing if any of the trees have the name of my fathers or forefathers chromones, fatty acids and essential oil. It also contains Vitamin A as well ashes rose the mango tree. When the mango tree bore flowers and fruits, etched on a mango).Praising the mangoes, he says: as Vitamin C. Mango is low in protein, sodium and contains no choles- the King desired to keep the fruit to himself. When the fruit ripened and Brayae aamon ka kush byaan ho jaaye terol. The fibre in the fruit cleanses the body and thus is a panacea for fell on the ground, from it arose the daughter of the Sun God. The king Khaama nakhle rataab fashaan ho jaaye constipation. Mangoes improve the appetite and are effective in removing immediately recognised her as his wife in his previous birth. Lord Shiva (Simply let something in praise of mangoes be expressed joyously the toxins from the body. used to sit under the mango tree during His separation from goddess Like a palm tree when stirred brings down showers of ripe sweet dates). The pulp of the fruit is also fed to ruminants .In fact, all the parts of this Parvati. Later by the grace of goddess Lalitha, Shiva married Parvati and Recently, in a village in Haryana a man sold his land on which grew an tree are used to relieve abscesses, rabid dog, tumor, snakebite, datura poi- went to reside at Mount Kailash. old desi mango tree. When the buyer came to fell the tree, four old men of soning, miscarriage, anthrax, wounds, blisters as well as stings. It is also an There used to be a time when our ancestors would grow and take care the village, who had grown old playing under it in their childhood and important remedy for relieving colic, bacillosis, bloody dysentery, exces- of a large number of mango trees with the hope that someone in future were greatly attached to it, bought the tree pooling and paying rupees sive urination, indigestion, tumpanitis, asthma, glossitis and tetanus. Raw would eat the fruit of the tree they had planted. The mangoes would be 10,000 and thus, saved it from being fallen. This should be the spirit in mango is used to make pickle, chutney (called 'Shasha' in local parlance) planted over vast tracts and sometimes, places would be named after the preserving this tree which is related to our rich culture. So there is need and pickles. It is peeled off and ground to make 'amchoor' which is mixed shape of the mango tree such as Dinga Amb (curved mango). It would not to plant more and more such trees and also encourage farmers to grow with vegetables to add sour taste. Mango also finds use in preparation of be uncommon to find mango trees in groups or a single one on chowks, desi mango trees for making jams, pickles, mango drinks and make aam paapar, jams, mango shakes and drinks. It is also an integral part of along pathways, Dhakkis etc in every village in Jammu region so that arrangements for their marketing. Cutting of mango tree should be com- our rituals. When a havan is performed at the time of auspicious occasion travellers would sit in their shade and take rest to refresh themselves. In pletely banned and incentives should be given to the farmers who grow such as marriage, mundan, retirement etc, the wood of mango is used as many cases, an earthern pitcher was kept filled with water under the mango trees in their orchards. Research needs to be conducted on mango fuel to produce fire and its leaves woven and hung at the entrance of the mango tree to enable the travellers to quench their thirst as in those days to bring out its more uses & benefits. Every effort need to be made to pre- home. The leaves of mango are also used when 'saakh' is sown and a journeys were conducted mostly on foot. Sometimes, Panchayats and serve the existing trees and regenerate the extinct ones in order to make kalash is kept at the puja site at the time of Navratras. In Bhagavata small functions would be held in their cool shade. up the loss as this tree is deeply connected with our culture. Purana, it is mentioned that mango tree, which is called heavenly tree, is There are many anecdotes associated with mangoes. The great Urdu The writer is serving as Sr. Lecturer in English, Govt.Hr. Sec. School, Thial (Udhampur)