India, June 14 -- As a Soldier the most difficult thing I have ever done was not crossing enemy lines. It was picking up a phone and dialling a number that would change someone's world forever.
I would hold the receiver with trembling hands, my throat dry, rehearsing the words I would never get right. Sometimes I would pause before pressing the last digit, as if time could be held back a little longer.
And then, the call would connect.
There would be a confused hello on the other end. A mother's voice, soft and unprepared. A father's gruff tone, trying to sound strong. A sister, cheerful because she thought it was her brother calling from the border. Then I would speak, slowly, gently. There would be silence first, as if the words hadn't...