To think of the Rezang La War Memorial is to confront the very limits of human courage. There is a haunting quiet on those Himalayan peaks today, a silence paid for by the blood of the 120 men of the 13th Kumaon Regiment's 'C' Company. Facing a massive, advancing tide of 5,000 chinese troops better equipped then them carrying more ammunition then them, they knew the terrifying math. They knew they would not see the sunrise. Yet, standing fast in the freezing cold, they did not yield a single inch of their motherland.
It makes one pause and wonder: What gives a human spirit the strength to look certain death in the eye and refuse to blink?
The answer is etched forever into the stone of their memorial, capturing a profound sense of duty and Dharma. The inscription holds a quiet, immense pride that sends shivers down the spine:
"
How can a man die better,
Then facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his gods."
As we celebrate Lord Shiva the great ascetic who sits in meditation amidst the frozen peaks, and the fierce destroyer of evil the parallels are undeniable. These men stood as the ultimate guardians of our land and our faith.
Before the silence claimed the battlefield, imagine the freezing air shattering with their thunderous roar, a battle cry that still echoes through the valleys of Ladakh, invoking the divine before they made the supreme sacrifice:
"Kalika Mata ki Jai! Bajrang Bali ki Jai! Dada Kishan ki Jai!" Let us light an extra lamp for them tonight. Their sacrifice sanctified that soil, and their immortal courage continues to protect the temples of our gods.
