This letter was written to Major Akshay Girish, by his mother Meghna Girish.
A third-generation officer, Major Akshay Girish was born on 6 December 1985 in Bangalore. In December 2007, he was commissioned into the 51 Engineer Regiment of the Bengal Sappers. Major Girish got a degree in Electrical Engineering from the College of Military Engineering, Pune in 2013. He breathed his last on 29 November 2016.
He sacrificed his life during an attempt to neutralise terrorists who, disguised in police uniforms, had attacked an army unit at Nagrota in Jammu the same morning. Major Girish led a quick response team (QRT) to fight the gunmen and rescue the hostages. Major Girish was shot in the firefight, but it was a grenade lobbed at him that ultimately took his life.
His wife Sangeeta Ravindran and their three-year-old daughter were at the army camp when the attack took place. At 8.09 am on the ill-fated day, Major Girish had sent his last message on his family WhatsApp group which said “I’m in the firefight… First round came on our vehicle.. I’m with my qrt firing.. 2 casualty.. (sic)
Major Girish’s bravery saved the lives of all sixteen hostages
When the family heard the news of Major Akshay’s death, their world turned upside down. His mother, Meghana Girish, took to writing a blog about how things changed for the family after his death.
“Akshay raja had another side to his responsible, calm, committed and courageous self. He was quite a prankster and trying out a gag with someone he knew well was right up his ‘having fun’ street,” the blog post reads.
Major Akshay’s legacy lives on in the form of ‘Major Akshay Girish Memorial Trust’, run by his family. Major Girish was a poet, a foodie, and he loved painting and playing tennis.
See all the letters here.
Major Akshay’s legacy lives on in the form of ‘Major Akshay Girish Memorial Trust’, run by his family. Major Girish was a poet, a foodie, and he loved painting and playing tennis.
See all the letters here.