Celina Jaitly recounts a scene from the 1971 Indo Pak war as told by her soldier father: ‘Through a Daughter’s eyes…’
The last few months have been very difficult for actor Celina Jaitly, as she battles to get in touch with her brother, Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly. He has been detained in the UAE since September 2024. The Delhi High Court recently heard the plea and directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to help facilitate communication between the siblings. Amid the same, Celina took to social media today to pen a note for her late father and soldier Colonel VK Jaitly, a day after Vijay Diwas.
Along with pictures of her father, Celina Jaitly shared, “An Untold Story of a Late Soldier on Vijay Diwas, Through a Kumaon regiment Daughter’s Eyes.. Vijay Diwas 🇮🇳 Battle of Bhaduria, 1971. My late father Colonel VK Jaitly (SM) once narrated a gut wrenching scene from one of the fiercest engagements of the 1971 war : “As I lay in a pool of my blood for 72 hours before evacuation, around me was a field of death. Many of my brothers lay moaning in excruciating agony, ripped into pieces. Even though my whole body was full of sharpnels and leg ripped by bullets my own injuries seemed futile. I lay crying seeing my brothers moan in agony as I crept to a critically injured soldier and administered him the last of my pain killer. The only thing common among all of us who lay dying on the battlefield was the word “Ma”. In that pain, in that last dying breath “Ma” was the only word that seemed to give us comfort. “Ma” the one who gave us birth is what remained on our lips as we died.. as we succumbed to valour.”
She went on to write, “These words are not literature. They are lived truth. This photograph was taken just before my father walked into into one of the bloodiest chapters of the 1971 Indo Pak war. “The Battle of Bhaduria”. A battle he lived through. A battle he carried in his body & soul for the rest of his life. The Battle of Bhaduria was fought by the phenomenal “man eaters” of 17 #kumaon Regiment. Securing the Bhaduria crossroads in the Bogra sector broke enemy defenses. It earned the regiment the name Bhaduria Paltan. A decisive step toward the liberation of Bangladesh. My father was commissioned in 1970 SS 9 Gadar Course 17 Kumaon. Critically wounded at just 21. Bullet injuries, Shrapnel injuries. Injuries that stayed with him for life. Yet he returned to duty Served with pride & honour Eventually commanding 16 Kumaon. Yesterday was #vijaydiwas , in its honour I repeat my father’s words: If you want to honour a soldier, be an Indian worth dying for. I bow my head in honour of our #armedforces. Kalika Mata ki Jai. Jai Hind 🇮🇳.”
