Former Army Officer’s 160-km run honours Kargil heroes

In a remarkable tribute to the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, former army officer Lieutenant Colonel Barsha Rai completed a gruelling 160-km run from Srinagar to Drass.

The run, completed in four days, honoured the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Kargil War.

Lt Col Rai (Retd) expressed she undertook the run to honour the brave hearts who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

Accompanied by the Chinar Warriors marathon team at various stretches, she started her journey on July 19. She concluded her journey on July 22 at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass.

Averaging 40 km per day, Rai’s journey took her through challenging terrains. After starting from Srinagar, she ran to Wusan on the second day and moved to Sonamarg, situated at 9,000 feet.

On the third day, she surmounted the 11,649-foot-high Zojila Pass on the Srinagar-Leh national highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with Ladakh.

She reached Matayen before finally arriving at the Kargil War Memorial on the fourth day. Upon completion, Rai and her team paid tributes to the martyrs at the memorial.

Reflecting on her motivation, Rai recalled that she was in class 7 when the Kargil war began, and her father, Colonel Keshab Rai, had moved overnight to the border with his entire unit.

For families like hers, the war brought days of uncertainty, loss, and despair. This run, she explained, was a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the soldiers who fought valiantly during the Kargil War.

Lt Col Rai emphasized that the physical pain she endured during the run was insignificant compared to the hardships faced by soldiers during the war. She stated that her aim through this run was to raise awareness about the sacrifices made by the soldiers.

Barsha Rai, a fourth-generation army officer, comes from a lineage of military service. Her great-grandfather was a Military Cross recipient.

Commissioned into the Army Service Corps in March 2010 from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, she was awarded the Garhwal Medal for excellence in academics.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Ladakh on July 26 to attend the 25th-anniversary celebrations, commemorating India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1999 war.

Image Credit: Anandjpanchal, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kargil_Chowk.jpg