India, July 25 -- No intelligence. No acclimatisation. No high-altitude clothing. Negligible artillery support. Treacherous terrain.

These were the harsh and daunting circumstances under which Major Rajesh Adhikari, a 28-year-old officer, was tasked with capturing the pivotal Tololing peak during the 1999 Kargil War.

"He didn't blink an eye," recalls Brigadier Khushal Thakur (Retd.), his Commanding Officer during the war.

"The irony is that he was only on attachment with us-18 Grenadiers-for a year, which was to end in June. He was looking forward to going back and celebrating his first wedding anniversary on June 9."

However, just 10 days before, Major Adhikari was killed in action on May 30.

"You must understand the circumstances u...