11th anniversary of India's glorious victory in Kargil

The nation is celebrating the 11^th anniversary of India's glorious victory in Kargil war on July 26, 2011. It was on this day when Indian army with its indefatigable courage, indomitable spirit and irrepressible valour inflicted crushing defeat on Pakistan. 527 soldiers of Indian army got martyred in Kargil war. The nation celebrates 26 July as Kargil Vijay Diwas to pay glowing tributes to its martyrs and brave soldiers who made Pakistan to bite dust on the battlefield. The memory of war and sacrifices of Indian soldiers combined with daring raids on enemy positions to flush out the infiltrators from our sacred motherland is still fresh in the mind of the people and continues to inspire the coming generations.
The Kargil War as it is known was fought in 1999 when Pakistan army backed jihadi groups infiltrated into India and occupied Indian land during winter retreat of the Indian army. The Indian Army along with Indian Air Force showing exemplary courage and bravery turned the tables on Pakistan and won the war in Kargil after 74 days of continuous fight against all odds at very high altitudes. It was 26 July 1999 when the last of the Pakistan Army intruders beat a retreat leaving their fallen compatriots in uniform on the Indian soil unhonoured, unwept, unsung and unburied. With the Pakistani forces conceding defeat and retreating entire India was plunged into celebrations from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari and Kamrup to Kutch and the day of victory came to be known as Kargil Vijay Divas.

The entire country pays homage to the martyrs and brave soldiers to celebrate the glorious victory of a hard-fought war. Those who fell for the cause of the country shall always be honoured in the Hall of Fame because they gave their today for our tomorrow. The nation will always remember hundreds of martyrs for their unparalleled feats of conspicuous personal gallantry, exemplary leadership and selfless devotion to duty in the service of the motherland. Captain Vikram Batra and Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey were posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra while Rifleman Sanjoy Kumar and Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav survived their injuries to receive the highest award of gallantry.

It is for such patriotic martyrs that the poet sung these lines:
                  
How else can a man die better
Than facing fearful odds
For the ashes of his fathers
And the temples of his gods.