Soldiers in Siachen are taught to “first survive and then fight.” Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad did miraculously survive, first for over five days buried under 35 feet of crystallized ice and then for another three days after being rescued from the glacial heights.
But he could not live to fight another day, dashing the hopes of millions of his countrymen praying for yet another miracle for the Siachen braveheart. Koppad's organs finally gave way. The gritty soldier breathed his last at the Army (Research and Referral) Hospital in Delhi. After an avalanche buried him and nine mates on February 3 on the glacial surrounds of Siachen, Hanumanthappa was found alive five days later. None of the others survived the tragedy. Experts were unable to explain how his brain and body coped with the severe pneumonia, oxygen deprivation and multiple organ dysfunctioning for such a lengthy time. The miraculous nature of his survival had fuelled hopes that his body would respond to treatment at the hospital.
Lieutenant General B K Chopra, director general of the Armed Forces Medical Services, perhaps put it best when he said that each minute the 33-year-old soldier lived after being rescued from beneath the ice blanket will be remembered for his grit and will to survive. The soldier from Karnataka is survived by his wife Mahadevi and two-year old daughter Netra. They had been flown to Delhi with other family members and were present at the hospital and later at Brar Square where his body, shrouded in the India flag, was placed. It was later flown to his home village in Dharwad district where the final rites were performed.
For most of the ceremony Hanumanthappa's wife remained stoically silent. But she broke down towards the end prompting army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag and his wife to step forward to console her. “His daughter is too young to understand anything,” said Ramesh Koppad, Hanumanthappa's cousin, who is also a serving soldier.
Defence minister Manohar Parikkar, three service chiefs, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also paid their tributes.
In his message to the bereaved family, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “I am deeply sad to learn about the passing away of your son, Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad. Lance Naik Koppad was a hero who demonstrated exemplary will power and courage in the face of adversity. He made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “He (Hanumanthappa) leaves us sad and devastated. RIP Lance Naik Hanumanthappa. The soldier in you remains immortal. Proud that martyrs like you served India.“
