Merchant Navy officer writes comics on Indian war heroes

New Delhi: Journalist: You must be so relieved and satisfied at the end of this operation. What does the victory feel like?

Captain Vikram Batra: Feel like? Yeh dil maange more!

That was Captain Vikram Batra who died a valiant death fighting Pakistan tooth and nail in July 1999 during the Kargil war. His famous war-cry, 'Yeh dil maange more' became a part of the youth lexicon. Nine years on, those same words inspired Merchant Navy Officer Aditya Bakshi to design a series of comics on real-life war heroes. Today, four editions on, Bakshi's brainchild, the Indian War Comics, has drawn the lives of contemporary India's war heroes.

"These heroes have lead their lives in exemplary manner and made the supreme sacrifice. So, their action speak louder than words and we feel that they are the right heroes whom the youth should be looking to emulate and be inspired from," says Bakshi.

The comic strips bring home the feats of heroes caught in various battles. Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks martyr Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Captain Bana Singh who conquered the Siachen glacier and Colonel NJ Nair who fought insurgency in the Northeast are some heroes already featured. And Bakshi is determined to add to the roll of honour as he encourages young minds to remember the martyrs.

"I read Spiderman but they aren't real heroes and these soldiers, they are real heroes because they stay at the border and they die protecting us," says a young fan of the comic series.

Apart from hard copies, the comic strips are also available on Android and iPad.

Batman and Spiderman may rule children's minds through their fictional heroic acts but real heroes like Captain Vikram Batra and Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan's real feats will live in our memories, thanks to the Indian War Comics.

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