The story of Capt. Anuj Nayyar, 17 Jatt is not just that of a young soldier making the ultimate sacrifice for his country and its people and a bright young life snuffed out in its youth; but also that of government indifferent to the plight of the family left behind by that national hero.
The captain’s selfless bravery and leadership made it possible for the Indian army to reclaim the strategic location on the west side and then ultimately the recapture of Tiger Hill but after the award of the Maha Vir Chakra and the lip service, it was left to the bereaved parents to claim the legacy of their son promised by the government. The movie LOC Kargil depicted the captain’s heroism where Saif Ali Khan played the role of Captain Anuj Nayyar and the movie Dhoop starring Om Puri, detailed the travesty after the hero’s death.
Capt. Anuj Nayyar – Maha Vir Chakra
Captain Anuj Nayyar made an indelible and invaluable contribution to the ultimate recapture of Tiger Hill. He and his company located and neutralized 4 enemy bunkers with the captain himself neutralizing 9 of the enemy and destroying three medium machine gun bunkers. It was under his leadership that the enemy retreated but tragically all seven soldiers of the captain’s team perished. The captain himself died while clearing the fourth bunker when a rocket propelled grenade fell on him.
Dhoop a movie about the legacy of Capt. Anuj Nayyar
The captain’s death resulted in bereaved parents and a fiancé who had been his sweetheart for about a decade. The reason why the death of Captain Nayyar is all the more poignant is the shameful story that followed. When the captain’s parents were offered a petrol pump dealership, they refused at first. When they were convinced to accept the dealership in memory of their son, there ensued a series of roadblocks and red tapism that would have caused humiliation and hardship for the aged parents of a national hero.
The movie Dhoop where Om Puri essayed the role of the war hero’s father and Gul Panag played his sweetheart followed the real life travails of Capt. Nayyar’s family as a bereaved father was asked to prove his relationship, suffer endless delays and more. Dhoop was the story of a family waiting for the sunshine to return to their life at least in part; because the vacuum left by the snuffing out of a young life could never be filled.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
This article is a part of a series on the brave hearts of the Kargil War – these are heroes India has either forgotten about or has never heard of. This series is our tribute to our country’s men and women in uniform ahead of Kargil Divas (26 July)
