When life gives you Nimbu (saab)

Whenever there is chicken on the dining table Neingutoulie Kenguruumlse remembers his brother Captain Neikezhakuorsquos favourite part was the wings ldquoHe was always advising merdquo says the 50yearold secondary school teacher ldquoAnd this stage I knew he would have many words of guidance for me on how to approach people how to talk to peoplerdquoKenguruse a businessman is fighting for a seat in the Dimapur civic polls in his native Nagaland And his brother Captain Neikezhakuo was posthumously awarded the countryrsquos second highest award for gallantrymdashthe Maha Vir Chakramdash for his bravery in the Kargil War 25 years ago Affectionately called Neibu and then Nimbu he fell martyr while leading his men to defend Lone Hill barefoot in 10 degrees Celsius He was a few days short of turning 25 years oldNeingutoulie Kenguruumlse in his Dimapur office under a portrait of Capt NeibuHe is the subject of the latest book by Delhibased sisters Neha and Diksha Dwivedi Founder YOSO Media titled Nimbu Saab The Barefoot Naga Kargil Hero published by Harper CollinsCaptain Neibu stands out for being one of the few soldiers from Nagaland in the Indian ArmyThe state declared its independence from mainland India on August 14 1947 which is not recognised by the Indian government and the Indian Army has had a strong presence there since the 1950sCaptain Neikezhakuo Kenguruumlsersquos memorial and grave in KohimaThe Naga insurgency is since seen as the longest freedom struggle by a people though relations with the Centre have improved over the past decadeldquoThe Naga people do have a strong sense of nationhoodrdquo says Atoulie Neingutouliersquos abbreviated nickname ldquoAnd my brother wanted to join the Army because of the respect it would give him and because he was always striving to better his circumstancesrdquoCaptain Neibu was the second of a large family of 13 siblings three of them sharing a biological mother Nupulhuu Their eldest sibling had passed away and Atoulie was just a year younger than Captain Neibu The father was a pastor and Neibursquos income ran the large family The family belongs to the Angami tribeldquoThough he was only one year older than merdquo says Atoulie ldquohe was 20 years more mature My brother was obedient with his elders would joke with his friends and was strict with those younger than him I was a mathematics and English teacher just like him and he wanted me to become an Army officer too He would tell me lsquoYou may make more money as a teacher but you will get more respect as a soldierrsquordquoAuthors Neha and Diksha Dwivedi with the Kenguruumlse family in KohimaWhen asked why Captain Neibu wanted to join the Army in a state where this is not a typical choice and a dangerous one given that he felt dutybound to provide for his large family Atoulie chuckles ldquoBecause he likes to commandrdquoWe conduct the interview over a Zoom call Atoulie is in his office and over him looms a blackandwhite photograph of Captain Neibu in a tie and blazer forever 24He belonged to the second Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles and had gone into service just six months prior Diksha came across his letters while researching her previous book Letters from Kargil while Neha learned more about him while researching for her first book Vijyant at Kargil The Biography of a War Hero ldquoCaptain Neibursquos letters stood out for their tone of strong spirituality and sense of dutyrdquo Diksha says ldquoHe was a devout Christian and felt responsible for his 11 siblings Many of the letters we read by soldiers to their families had the same themes First they would talk about how beautiful their surroundings were and slowly as the reality of the war set in and their comrades began falling they would downplay the seriousness of the situation to their families and loved ones You could tell they were lying so that their family would not worry but they were also aware they might never see them againrdquo The letters included those he wrote to his partner Caroline name changedThe Dwivedi sisters also lost their father Major CB Dwivedi in the Kargil War when Neha was only 12 and Diksha was 8 years old ldquoWhenever anyone spoke about Captain Neibu they did it with a smile He would tell his men to educate their children and siblings He would ask about everyone in the familyrdquo says Neha who spoke with many soldiers from 2 Raj Rif during the research of her book Vijyant at KargilAtoulie chuckles again ldquoHe was always lecturing everyone I gave him a lot of trouble I was the kind of student who would study for two hours he would study through the night sleep on the couch to be uncomfortable so that he could wake up early and study againrdquoMuch of the book is based on the martyrrsquos personal writings that came to Atoulie after his brotherrsquos death The streets of Kohima were lined with wellwishers to receive the martyrrsquos remains in 1999 The Dwivedi sisters partnered with Atoulie to tell Nimbu Saabrsquos story in detailNow itrsquos the jokes that his brother told that remain ldquoWhenever he was with his friends there was this joke he loved to tellrdquo says Atoulie ldquoOnce a plane was flying over the ocean and the Captain announced that they were overloaded and three people would have to be offloaded to remain airborne He urged the passengers to volunteer for the sacrifice of the greater good A US Marine stood up and said lsquoI give my life for my country Americarsquo Then a Russian soldier jumped off saying lsquoIn the name of my country Russia I sacrifice my lifersquo Then an Indian soldier stood up and said lsquoFor my country India I sacrifice this Pakistanihelliprsquo and pushes another passenger off the planehelliprdquoEdited citation for Maha Vir ChakraCaptain Neikezhakuo Kenguruumlse was the Ghatak Platoon Commander during the attack on Area Black Rock in the Drass Sector on the night of 28 June 1999 during Operation VIJAYHe volunteered to undertake a daring commando mission of attacking a wellsited enemy machine gun position on a cliff face As the commando team scaled the cliff face The officer sustained a splinter injury in his abdomen Bleeding profusely yet undeterred he urged his men to carry on with the assault On reaching the final cliff face the commando team was halted by a sheer rock wall The officer took off his shoes and scaled the rock wall carrying a rocket launcher which he fired at the enemy positionThe officer personally killed two men with his rifle and another two with his commando knife before succumbing to his injury Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruumlse singlehandedly neutralised the enemy position which had tied up the Battalionrsquos progress