Biography: The life of Kargil hero Neikezhakuo Kengurüse, who received a posthumous Maha Vir Chakra

The insurgent activities and political unrest in Nagaland, from as early as the 1950s all the way until the early 1990s, were like distant thunder – ominous but not always directly impacting our daily lives. As Nagas, we were still living under the fear of men in uniform, and random checks as well as shootings were still very common in some areas. However, the changing perception of locals about the Indian Army and the political ongoings did indirectly affect us. Discussions at home sometimes revolved around these issues, although our father’s role as a pastor and his apolitical stance shielded us from getting too involved in these matters.

Unfortunately, this also meant that there were not many conversations between my brothers and me when we really needed them. You see, the one thing men across the world have in common is that we’re told since we are little to “Be a man”, or that “Men don’t cry”. Since childhood, my brothers and I were good at following rules, so we just obeyed – we didn’t cry in front of each other or even alone. In Jalukie, we simply went about our days, from one responsibility within the family to another, as...

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