By D N Singh
When a ship sinks, it is said, that the rats desert it first. But some soldiers of India are no mere soldiers but billion times brave than others think.
It is a day Jan 26 that the Indian Navy was founded and little do many know that Indian Navy had in its arsenal brave soldiers like Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, perhaps, one of the rare of the rarest who as captain of INS Khukri had the guts to sink along with INS Khukri (that was sinking after a torpedo fire from Pakistani Navy) and that is how Captain Mullaa showed the world what valour is.
And such valour cannot be priced as these days the leaders offer cash bounty for a sixer hit in the cricket field. What do they know what is the price of a life of a soldier who volunteered to sink along with the ship, INS Khukri, facing an imminent death staring at the bottom.
It was the war with Pakistan in 1971 and INS Khukri was one of the three anti-submarine frigates facing a torpedo laced Submarine of Pakistan. Task was difficult, as the enemy Sub was equipped with state-of-the-art technology which was difficult to be located.
First torpedo fired and Indian INS Khukri was partially hit but steady. The Pak Sub was this time closer than it looked and the second torpedo was fired at Khukri which had Capt Mulla as its Captain.
Knowing that his ship had suffered irreparable damage and terminally sinking, he ordered the rest to desert the ship although some had been martyred by the blast and a few were left.
INS Khukri was sinking and the brave Captain was standing atop finally to see the ship vacated. The enemy Sub knew about that. Captain Bhalla handed over his life jacket to one crew and asked him not to worry about him and leave quickly.
With tears in eyes the crew jumped into the sea.
Captain Mulla decided to stay on with his ship and standing atop he proudly looked at the enemy Sub and lit a cigar, relaxed that, he is going down with INS Khukri to the bottom.
