Simulia: India’s defence capabilities have advanced quite a bit when compared to the situation soldiers found themselves in during 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, veteran infantryman Khagendra Prasad Rath from Balasore district said today.
Speaking to OrissaPOST, the 77-year-old retired soldier from Chalunigaon area under Simulia block of Balasore recounted his experience of the wars and shared his life story.
Having joined the Indian Army in 1965 following the completion of his schooling, he was sent to the frontlines after only a few days of training as war broke out with Pakistan.
Being an infantryman, the job was always challenging, says the retired soldier.
“Infantry provides first-hand information from operation theatres and accordingly strategies are made by the Defence Ministry. Both the army and the air force face the enemy in a cohesive manner by sticking to the strategies,” the septuagenarian said.
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Speaking of his war-time experiences, Rath recounted his role as part of a task force that brought back bodies of Indian soldiers — Punjab’s Ramjeet Singh and Maharashtra’s Anand Kunde — following the capture of Pakistan Army’s Post No-10944.
Narrating about the vast changes in the present-day army and then, the elderly man said, “I had a wooden rifle which required two minutes for loading a bullet. Once, the erstwhile Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri broke into tears after seeing the conditions of soldiers and later modern rifles were procured from the US.”
Things, however, have changed over the years. India’s defence capabilities have moved far ahead, he added.
It may be mentioned here that Rath has been awarded seven times for his bravery and service to the nation. Recently, he was felicitated with special honours by Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal and DRDO Chandipur on two separate occasions for his service to the nation.
PNN