Though India has fought many battles with its neighbouring  country Pakistan, but Kargil war was the war on a larger scale which bought victory to India at the cost of many lives. 

July 26th is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas every year; for it was on this day in 1999 that India declared victory over Pakistan in Operation Vijay. The battle was fought for two 2 month between the neighbours. The nation pays homage to the martyrs on this day. The victory came at a high price. The official death toll on the Indian side was 527. 

Every year this day is celebrated as Vijay Diwas  as a mark of respect to the martyrs. A number of events has been planned by the Army in Delhi and Dras in Jammu and Kashmir  to mark the 20th anniversary of the ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ . The celebration of Kargil  Diwas  have already started in Delhi. It started with the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh  lighting up the “Victory Flame” at National War Memorial to pay  tribute to the martyrs.

The flame is to travel across 11 cities and towns and finally reach Dras where the flame would be merged with the eternal flame at the ‘Kargil War Memorial’, The torch relay team would conduct various interactive sessions with prominent personalities and students of various educational institutions.”Kargil Vijay Diwas”  is a special occasion for the people of Ladakh. People of Ladakh will be participating in the run ‘Ek Daud Shaheedon Ke Naam‘ which would include the citizens from the remotest corner of the region, and the brave war veterans from far-flung villages of Ladakh. A T-20 cricket championship is being organised in the Ladakh region in the NDS Memorial Stadium which is situated at an altitude of 11500 ft.

 In Delhi, a ‘Commemoration Ceremony’ is being organised at the Manekshaw Centre, where a panel discussion with war veterans and serving officers will be organised. 
The event will be followed by ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas Evening’, a cultural extravaganza, at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on July 27 2019. The 20th anniversary  is being celebrated with the theme ‘Remember, Rejoice and Renew’.

The army personnel wants to ‘remember’ our martyrs by revisiting their sacrifices, ‘rejoice’ by celebrating the victory in Kargil  and ‘renew’ their resolve to safeguard the honour of the tricolour,”    The objective of these celebrations is to evoke nationalism and patriotism through nationwide campaigns especially amongst youth and to pay homage to the valiant soldiers. The events are planned to highlight the stories of valour by our brave soldiers and rekindle the pride among the youth of the country.