Amar Chitra Katha on Param Vir Chakra receipents

India’s largest selling comic book publisher, Amar Chitra Katha (ACK), has come out with a special volume on the 21 Param Vir Chakra recipients.

The 248-page title named, “Param Vir Chakra: The Ultimate Honour”, has been priced at Rs 299 and it is available online. “It was a great experience putting it together....it is a tribute to the recipients of the highest military award in India,” ACK’s executive editor Reena Puri told the Deccan Herald on Wednesday. The all-colour, beautifully illustrated book tells the story of each hero’s life – from childhood, to the battle in which they proved themselves victors over incredible odds.

The award recipients are Major Somnath Sharma, Naik Jadunath Singh, Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane, Company Havildar Major Piru Singh Shekawat, Lance Naik Karam Singh, Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, Major Dhan Singh Thapa, Subedar Joginder Singh, Major Shaitan Singh, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore, Lance Naik Albert Ekka, Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, Major Hoshiar Singh, Naib Subedar Bana Singh, Major Ramaswamy Parmeshwaran, Capt Manoj Kumar Pandey, Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar and Captain Vikram Batra.

“We have covered all the recipients and all the wars– be it the Kashmir Operations in 1947-48, India-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak wars in 1965 and 1971 and the Kargil conflict of 1999 besides other operations,” Puri said.

She said the ACK received a great help from the Indian Army in bringing out the issue. “They provided us valuable inputs, right from the rank, to spellings of names to uniform and specifications of weapons,” she said, adding that the planning stage was of four to five months.

“It was a thrilling as well as an emotional experience,” she said, adding that the editorial and illustration team went though the minute details to bring the special issue out on the eve of Independence Day celebrations.

“These are the stories of 21 fearless heroes, for whom their lives were less important than the sovereignty of India, and the safety of their fellow citizen. Twenty one stirring tales of bravery, courage and sacrifice, that need to be told and remembered, as an inspiration for generations to come," she said.