OdishaPlus Bureau
He brought immense pride for Odisha. Major Padmapani Acharya made the state revel in joy when he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC)(literally great warrior medal) for his valor in the Kargil war.
Major Acharya fought bravely to capture Tololing in the Dras sector, but succumbed to grenade injuries, 19 years ago. On the occasion of the 20th Kargil Vijay Diwas, people of Odisha remember the brave heart for his valor and courage.
Acharya wrote a letter to his father on June 19, 1999, where he describes his experiences in the war and talks about the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit, the food served, use of Vaseline cream, the Bengali doctor in their unit and the lessons of Mahabharata.
He tells his father with neatly written handwriting on an inland letter that “casualties are a professional hazard which goes beyond our control but for a good cause” and advises him to tell his six-month-pregnant wife Charulatha a story from Mahabharata every day, so that his child “imbibes good values”.
Major Acharya was commissioned with the Rajputana Rifles and his brother who was Captain at the time of Kargil war, is now a Colonel in the Indian Army. The family last spoke to him over the telephone on June 21, 1999, which was his birthday. A week later, they got a call that he breathed his last on June 28, 1999. He was awarded the second-highest Indian military honor, the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously on Aug 15, 1999.