A Brave Soul with a Creative Eye and Mind Best Describes this Martyr

ALL FOR VALOUR

Photography was one of his fortes and brought him a lot of accolades and appreciation. His poems also managed to carve a niche in periodicals and newspapers. One of his creations was selected by The Times Magazine published from London. He was invited for a live presentation of his creation, but he could not attend the presentation due to his duty constraints.

Captain Gautam Sarma was born to Mrs Mamoni Sarma and Mr Profulla Sarma on January 2, 1982. Originally from Baruagaon, of Furkating in Golaghat, Mr Profulla Mahanta is a civil engineer who works for North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO). This meant that he was transferred very frequently to various locations across the Northeastern region of the country.

Schooling of Captain Gautam Sarma was distributed among many schools in different places of Northeast India Just like any other child of parents with transferable jobs. His pre-primary schooling started in Shillong itself. Then the family shifted to Umrangso for a few years where he was admitted to a kindergarten. Next on his list of schools was the Mission High School when the family shifted to Nagaland. The next stop was back in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. Captain Gautam Sarma continued the rest of his non-military education in this hill station. From the fourth standard onwards, he studied in a school here. He completed his higher secondary form St Edmund's in the city. He took admission in the Bachelor in Business Administration program of St Athony's college. But he discontinued it after the first semester.

The reason of this discontinuation was because he cleared his NDA entrance examination and got admitted in the prestigious National Defence Academy. Located in Khadakwasla in Pune, Maharashtra, this is the premier organisation that trains the officers of the Indian Army. He completed the course in the December of 2003 and moved to Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, Uttarakhand for further training. He finally graduated as an officer from IMA in December 2004.

He was commissioned to the 8th Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry, commonly known as 8 JAK LI in Siachen in December of 2004. At an altitude of nearly 5400 meters, Siachen is known as the highest battlefield in the world. His unit was then deployed to Sudan in Africa under the United Nations Peace Keeping Force (UNPKF) where he proved himself as a spirited infantryman. His performance beyond the call of duty and display of exemplary courage in the line of fire earned him a famed The Force Commander Commendation Card.

After the completion of the assignment with the United Nations, the unit returned back to India and he joined further duties. On June 3, 2007 Captain Gautam Sarma was tasked to lead an Area Domination Patrol in the Abad Guthur (Ustad Sub Sector) of Jammu and Kashmir. He was negotiating a steep cliff in a narrow rocky patch when the fatal incident happened. The rope he was using to climb, slipped and he lost his balance. This led to his fall into a deep gorge at the bottom of the cliff. The brave young officer later succumbed to the injuries that he received in the fall at the age of just twenty-five years.

Apart from his courageous display of valour while on duty, he also had a great interest in creative arts. Photography was one of his fortes and brought him a lot of accolades and appreciation. His poems also managed to carve a niche in periodicals and newspapers. One of his creations was selected by The Times Magazine published from London. He was invited for a live presentation of his creation, but he could not attend the presentation due to his duty constraints.

Dying is a pleasure which may be indulged in for the nation- was his vision towards life. Deny death to kill the unfair opponent else you die many times, was his mission.

As a martyr's mother, Mrs Mamoni Sarma continues to receive her dependent pension. She is invited to several events organised by the armed forces and his unit to date. She is entitled to medical services as well, which she chose to forgo. A view point was created in his memory and named Gautam View Point in the Kashmir valley. It was dedicated by his father Mr Profulla Sarma.

Her profound pride in giving birth to such a brave son can be based on the fact that she said that if she had another son, she would have sent him to the Indian Army as well.

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