Major Anuj Sood was an alumnus of the Punjab Public School Nabha and had signed up with the National Defence Academy prior to being commissioned into the Brigade of the Guards. After his school education, he had cleared the IIT JEE test, however he chose to sign up with NDA as he had dreamt of. From his youth days, he constantly desired to follow in the steps of his dad( Brig Retd. Chandrakant Sood, who served in the Corps of EME) and serve in the Army like him.
Major Anuj Sood of 21 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), who put down his life in the line of duty in an encounter with terrorists in Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir in May 2020, has been awarded with Shaurya Chakra posthumously on the eve of Republic Day.
That afternoon, the band of 5 warriors set out for the operation against terrorists in a town in the Rajawar forest, North Kashmir. They sacrificed their lives to save India from future terrorist attacks.” We can’t reproduce the bravery the 5 martyrs witnessed that day, nobody can. It takes enormous courage to be able to put your nation over and above anything else,” mentions his wife.
Early life
He was an alumnus of the Punjab Public School, Nabha and had actually signed up with the National Defence Academy prior to being commissioned into the Brigade of the Guards. After his school education, he had actually cleared the IIT JEE test. He however chose to sign up with NDA as he had dreamt of and became an Army officer. Clearing IIT JEE is enough evidence of his disciplined upbringing and strength of mind. As a youngster, he also liked Angelina Jolie and John Abraham. Lakshya, Om Shanti Om and Die Hard were his favorite movies.
He could have easily joined one of the IITs and enjoyed a cushy software job, without sacrificing his life. However, he chose otherwise and decided to live and breathe for his motherland.
One dream
From his youth days, he constantly desired to follow in the steps of his dad( who served in the Corps of EME). His dream ultimately became a reality and he got commissioned on 09 June 2012 from the Indian Military College. He was commissioned into 19 Guards of the Brigade of Guards, an infantry unit known for its gallant soldiers and inspiring fighting stories. He was expected to join his battalion, 12 Guards, after having actually finished his period in 21 RR. However his relocation got postponed due to Covid protocols and in the meantime, got engaged in a dangerous mission, which took his life.
” The fauj was his calling. He constantly wished to be an infantryman and had the fighter spirit. When I hear about the two-day operation, I keep thinking how brave he was,” states a close relative.
Finding that higher purpose
Major Anuj Sood’s caption from a post on Instagram, will undoubtedly fill you with motivation. He had actually written, “When you’re older, you will realise the only thing that matters, the only thing, is that you had courage and honour. Lose those things and you won’t die any quicker, but you’ll be less than the dirt from your boots. You’ll still be dust, but you’ll have wasted a short time in the light.”
His soulmate mentions “The army meant everything to him. I wish I had that kind of passion for my job. It was good to see someone truly love what they were doing.