(To the forgotten heroes of Kargil and other wars)

Hands that held strings
Tugging at soaring kites
Now, load, position
Long range guns, rifles
Pulling deadly triggers

Bodies that swung
To rhythms and tunes
Of drums, folk music
Dodge and evade
Enemy grenades, bullets

Eyes that brightened
At pretty girls, sportsmen
Movie stars, bright lights
Search, focus on distant cliffs
For hidden intruders, attackers

Legs that raced kicking
Footballs, ran between wickets
Now climb desperately
Searching footholds
On dangerous rocks, peaks

Boys caressed, dressed
Decorated by loving hands
Shiver, freeze, huddle together
For warmth and succour
Scoured by wounds, bullets

Sons, brothers, husbands
Sent to the battlefield
With fears, prayers, hopes
Return maimed, wounded
In shrouds, decorated coffins