26/11 martyr in digital avatar

Gurgaon-based comic book artist to honour Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who died fighting terrorists at Mumbai's Taj Hotel

Gurgaon-based comic book artist to honour Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who died fighting terrorists at Mumbai's Taj Hotel

The country will never forget the nightmare of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Gurgaon-based Aditya Bakshi is trying to ensure that at least one of the heroes of that tragedy, Maj Sandeep Unnikrishnan, is remembered as well. So on the eve of 26/11, Bakshi will be launching his graphical comic book on the braveheart from Taj Hotel in Mumbai.

Saluting courage: The book brings out little-known facets of
Maj Unnikrishnan's personal life. Pic/mid day

"The basic idea is to honour that death defying courage, that bravery and sacrifice a soldier makes so that others may live. It was important to highlight one basic fact that there is much more to the Indian army and the Indian soldier that can be circumscribed by scams of the Adarsh variety and cannot be forgotten or underscored by any crime or failings of a handful of the morally corrupt," said Aditya.

Eureka moment
The idea was shared with Ratan Tata, who wholeheartedly endorsed the project on the stories of martyrs to impart values to the youth of the country. Tata replied via mail to Aditya's father Maj Gen GD Bakshi.

"I am pleased to know about your efforts in instilling and imparting the right values to the children of today. Your venture to create awareness in young minds by conveying the courageous acts of the martyrs of the armed forces through the publications of Indian War Comics is commendable," he said.

"He greatly appreciates the idea of the need for our Indian education system to go beyond the transmission of knowledge, towards imparting values as well. If an education system fails to do this, and just imparts bookish knowledge then an immoral greed-seeking culture threatens to develop.

A thorough gentleman that he is, he offered to have the book launched at ground zero of the Taj, to remember the gallant soldiers as also the brave employees of the Taj who also went beyond their call of duty - displaying courage - underlining the fact that courage is a very common human trait, not just for soldiers but for all responsible citizens of an awakened country," Adita added.

The comic will be released by Major Unnikrishnan's parents. His father, who will complete the bicycle trip that he began from India Gate by reaching the Taj on 26/11, in memory of the martyrs, will share his experiences. Unnikrishnan began his journey from the India Gate monument in New Delhi on October 26, covering a distance of around 1,300 km in 24 days. K Unnikrishnan is on a month-long cycle rally which will culminate at the Gateway of India on November 26 - the second anniversary of the terror attacks. Also sharing his story will be Maj Gen Abhay Gupta of the NSG, who was part of the operation.

A father remembers
Unnikrishnan and his wife will stay at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai for two days on November 26 and 27. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan died at the Taj on November 27, 2008.

Having begun his cycle rally from Delhi's India Gate on October 26, Unnikrishnan is scheduled to arrive in Pune on November 19.

"The whole purpose behind the cycle rally is to remind the people of this country about the sacrifices made by our brave soldiers. Our soldiers have lost their lives fighting for our nation, not only within the territories but even outside the borders in international missions," he said.

Hero worshipper

Aditya, son of Major General (Retd) G D Bakshi, feels it is very important for everyone to know about these real-life super heroes.
"My first comic was black and white, but around 10,000 copies were sold which inspired me to go ahead. In our latest series we have used the best available graphics and colours. Two young students Sony Thokchom (penciller) and Dipak Prajapati (colourist) assisted me," he said.u00a0
"We narrate the story to the parents first and ask for details. Then we contact the respective units to gather more information. Then starts our work of designing and creating graphics for them," explained Aditya.
The book not only chronicles the sequence of events that culminated in Major Unnikrishan's tragic death, it also brings out little-known facets of his personality and personal life.
"Did you know that Major Unnikrishnan had a premonition about his death? He had told a few of his friends some days before the fateful day that the nation would remember the way he died," said Aditya, who worked on this project when he was on a break from his job.

Braveheart

Major Unnikrishnan was the team commander of 51 SAG deployed in the operation at the Taj Mahal Hotel to rid the building of terrorists and rescue the hostages. He entered the hotel in a group of 10 commandos and reached the sixth floor through the staircase. As the team descended the stairs, they sensed the terrorists on the third floor. The terrorists had held a few women as hostages in a room and locked it from the inside. After breaking open the door, the round of fire by the terrorists hit Commando Sunil Yadav, who was Major Unnikrishnan's buddy partner.
Major Unnikrishan led his team from the front and engaged the terrorists in a fierce gunfight. He arranged for Commando Sunil Yadav's evacuation and regardless of personal safety, chased the terrorists who, meanwhile, escaped to another floor of the hotel, and while doing so Major Sandeep continuously engaged them. In the encounter that followed, he was shot from the back, was seriously injured and succumbed to injuries.