A Journey to Salute Bravehearts

What better way to commemorate the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas (victory day) than to have a convoy of Mahindra sport utility vehicles (SUV) journey from key border posts of India all the way up to the Kargil War Memorial?

- Gaurav Davare

IT WAS A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO THAT THE Kargil War of 1999 spanned two months, three weeks, and two days and saw India's victory over Pakistan in Operation Vijay. Since then, every year on the 26th of July we pay tribute to all the brave men who made it possible. This year marked the 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas and it called for a special commemoration. In came Mahindra and Mahindra Limited with the "Hearts to Bravehearts" campaign in partnership with Faujiana.

The mission? To collect letters of appreciation by ordinary citizens across the country's dealerships and have them delivered to our brave soldiers who keep our borders safe. It would be done with the help of a convoy of 17 SUVs consisting of Mahindra Thars, Scorpios, and XUV700s, led by the Indian Motor Sports Club (IMSC). The journey was undertaken not only by enthusiasts, journalists, and Mahindra officials, but also ex-Army officers, defence officials as well as Kargil veterans and their families. The convoys would start from three specific border posts in India, namely, the Tanot Border Post in Rajasthan, Kibithoo Border Post in Arunachal Pradesh, and the Kochi Port in Kerala and would finally arrive at the Kargil War Memorial. We had the great privilege to be a part of this memorable journey.

We would not start from any of the three aforementioned outposts, but from Delhi at the Cariappa Parade Ground, named after KM Cariappa, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, where the convoys from all the three starting points would converge. Our companion for this journey? The Mahindra Thar specced in the RWD 150-hp, 2.0-litre, petrol engine guise, paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox.

The first leg of our journey was to Chandigarh and it was relatively straightforward, consisting of city roads and open highways. The Mahindra Thar, known more for its off-road ability, actually felt right at home in other everyday scenarios too.