2,400-km bike expedition across Ladakh’s battlefields kicks off

A 20-member group comprising Army officials from the units that fought in the 1999 Kargil war have set out on a 2,400-km motorcycle expedition across Ladakh’s historic battlefields to pay homage to bravehearts and collect soil for memorial plantations.

The 12-day “Gunners Ladakh Odyssey” expedition, organised by the Army’s artillery regiment to commemorate the 27th anniversary of Operation Vijay and celebrate the regiment’s bicentenary, was flagged off Monday by Brig Sarit Prakash, Deputy General Officer Commanding, 8 Mountain Division, from the Kargil War Memorial in Drass.

Led by Maj Gen Arvind Yadav, Additional Director General, Artillery, the expedition will traverse battlefields and frontier regions of Nubra, Shyok and Chushul valleys before concluding at Leh on August 14, where Ladakh Lt Governor VK Saxena will welcome the party, officials said.

They said the riders, selected from units that participated in the Kargil war, will pay homage at war memorials, battlefields and forward locations associated with Operation Vijay, across the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Officials said during the expedition, the team will collect soil from the battlefields and forward posts. “The soil will be used to nurture saplings that will later be planted at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass and the National War Memorial in New Delhi as a living tribute to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the conflict.” Besides commemorating the valour and sacrifice of the Kargil heroes, the expedition party will also interact with ex-servicemen and ‘Veer Naris’ (war widows) to honour their contribution and acknowledge their enduring sacrifices, they added.

The opening leg of the expedition to Zorawar fort in Leh, commenced from Kargil War Memorial after the participants paid floral tributes to the martyrs, reaffirming the artillery regiment’s commitment to the ideals of valour, resilience and selfless service.