Another Hero Dies

Soldier Gopendra Singh Rathore, who served as aide-de-camp (ADC) to K. R. Narayanan when he was President, followed his Supreme Commander in death as well. Major Rathore, or Gopi as he was called, was killed during anti-terrorist operations in Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday, a day after Narayanan passed away.

Major Rathore also served as ADC to President Abdul Kalam for four months before being shifted to his regular battalion.

Major Rathore was marked for positions of high responsibility in the Army having topped the National Defence Academy and won the reputed Sword of Honour. A highly decorated Officer, he wanted to be back to Field Operations, for what Army is meant for. And he voluntarily went to back to Kashmir wishing to make his efforts in building Kashmir again a peaceful Tourist spot.
But apart from being an excellent army officer, he had passion for literature and literary work, read extensively and wrote poetry. His first collection of poems came out in 2002 and Mr. Kalam received the first copy. His literary bent of mind earned him laurels from many quarters and he regularly corresponded with Governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi in Hindi and exchanged views on literature and literary issues.

On hearing of his death, Mr. Gandhi described him as a flower in the army and expressed the agony and pain of having lost a 35-year-old friend. "Major Rathore was an exceptional soldier and an extra-ordinary human being. His professional bravery was matched by his literary sensibility,'' wrote Mr. Gandhi in his condolence message.

When working as ADC to Mr. Narayanan, Gopi looked after the Moghul Garden lawns and had in-depth knowledge about the plants and flowers of the gardens. Once when he was explaining the history of a plant to a foreign dignitary, Mr. Narayanan commented: "Gopi you should better become a horticulturist!" Those close to him testify to his humanism and compassion — when he came to Delhi a few months ago, he revealed that he was reading the Koran and trying to understand Islam.

Time for India to think again, whether It will act against Pakistan sponsored Terrorism by acting tough with Pakistan or whether it wants to continue loosing its Army Heroes and civilians.

INDIAN