Santosh and Santoshi—the similarity in their names can hardly be a coincidence. It has been just over a year since Santoshi’s gallant husband, Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, Maha Vir Chakra (posthumous), commanding officer of the 16 Bihar Regiment, and his 19 daredevils were killed by trespassing Chinese soldiers in the Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh. Babu was leading Operation Snow Leopard, a mission to defend the Indian position on the border, when the Chinese attacked with stones, nail-studded sticks and iron rods. He valiantly resisted the attack, inspiring and motivating his troops till his last breath.
Drawing inspiration from Colonel Babu’s resolute spirit in the face of adversity, Santoshi said she was ready to serve the nation after completing her training as a deputy collector in the Telangana government, a post offered to her by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao. “My husband is my motivation today,” said Santoshi.
A few days before her husband’s martyrdom, Santoshi and her nine-year-old daughter were dressing up for a phone call from him. Her four-year-old son was too young to understand the significance of the occasion. “My husband always loved to click pictures and since my kids had been insisting on a video call, I knew he had taken out some special time for us. We wanted to look good,” she said.
On the night of June 14, Santoshi received a message from Babu that he would be available for a short video call. The calls had become less frequent since April because of poor mobile network in the forward areas. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had massively escalated its troop strength on the border, which had not witnessed a single round of gunfire in over four decades, and armed its men with lethal and sharp weapons.
“The call came through by 9:30pm and it lasted for two minutes. We saw him and heard his voice, but little did we realise that it was going to be the last time,” said Santoshi. The next few days remain a blurry memory of videos and voices Santoshi could not recognise. Some were old, some were new, but those were all about her husband being hailed as “the Hero of Galwan”.
“For a year, I sat and thought about how Santosh used to tell us about colleagues who had sacrificed their lives on the border,'' said Santoshi. “I used to think that since they were his colleagues, he was sharing their stories with us. I did not realise that he was trying to teach us how to cope. I now feel he knew that such a day might come soon.''
Santoshi got married to Babu soon after she completed her graduation. ''It was an amazing experience to be married to him. The last decade has been a life-changing experience,'' she said. Santoshi did not have a job when she got married, but seeing her husband’s devotion towards work, she completed her degree in education. She went with him to Shillong and Wellington, where he completed the prestigious Defence Service Staff Course. The couple then moved to Delhi, where she stayed for over two years.
“When Santosh got posted to Ladakh, I stayed back in Delhi, and it was my first experience of living as an independent woman. When the incident took place, I was all alone with my children,” she said. Santoshi recalled how she was making plans with Babu for their grand return to Hyderabad as he was awaiting a posting to his hometown. “I used to ask him about things I could do as the wife of a commanding officer,” she said. “He was feeling good to return to his hometown as the CO of his unit where his teachers, friends and neighbours could watch him and feel proud.”
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The colonel returned to Hyderabad for his final journey on June 18, 2020, and he made not just his hometown, but the entire country proud.
Yet another fallen hero of the Galwan conflict was Naib Subedar Nudu Ram Soren, Vir Chakra (posthumous). He was deployed as a column commander during Operation Snow Leopard. “He was known for his sense of humour and industriousness and he went down as a hero,'' said an officer of his unit. Soren was instrumental in cheering up his column when the PLA numbers started swelling up. Despite being injured, he fought back till his last breath.
He is survived by his wife, Laxmi, two daughters and a son. Laxmi said she was devoting herself towards educating and empowering her daughters who are keen to don the uniform.
The PLA will remember the Galwan clashes for its unique encounter with the Indian warriors, whose indomitable spirit surpassed all fear. Embodying this spirit was nursing assistant Naik Deepak Singh, hailing from Rewa district in Madhya Pradesh, who was instrumental in providing medical support to a number of soldiers in the battlefield.
During Operation Snow Leopard, as the casualty counts increased, Naik Singh moved up to the frontline to help the wounded soldiers. With his presence of mind and composure, he could resuscitate around 30 soldiers, said a senior officer. Singh also provided first aid to a few enemy soldiers, a noble gesture from a heavily injured soldier.
Despite their overwhelming advantage, the PLA soldiers could not make much headway and they are unlikely to forget the Galwan warriors in a hurry.