Service No : SS-36288
Date of Birth : August 10, 1972
Place of birth : Rameshwaram(TN)
Service : Army
Last Rank : Major
Unit : 1 Bihar
Arm/Regt : The Bihar Regiment
Operation : Op Vijay ( Kargil )
Awards : Vir Chakra
Martyrdom : May 29, 1999
Major Mariappan Saravanan was born on 10 Aug 1972 in Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. son of an army officer Lt Col Adhi Mariappan and Smt Amrithavalli Mariyappan, Maj Saravanan had two sisters Chitra and Revathy as his siblings. The army life fascinated him and he had made up his mind to follow in the footsteps of his father since his childhood. His schooling began in Gaya in Bihar in Kendriya Vidyalaya No 2, where he went on to become 'School Pupil Captain'. Thereafter he studied at various schools, wherever his father got posted. Unfortunately, he lost his father Lt Col Adhi Mariappan a doctor in the army in a road accident in Bangalore in 1989, when he was 16 years old.
Maj Saravanan, after completing his schooling in various places joined St Joseph’s College in Tiruchirapalli which was founded in 1844. He acquitted himself very well in the college and was appointed as the president of the 'Student Council' union at St. Joseph’s College in 1992. He developed a liking for Karate during his college days and excelled in it. He also joined NCC and earned a 'C' certificate for himself. Thereafter he got selected for the OTA Chennai and eventually graduated from the OTA in 1995. He was commissioned into 1 Bihar of the Bihar Regiment, a regiment known for its numerous battle honours. After passing out of OTA, he was posted to Tamulpur, Cooch Bihar, and Bhutan before moving to Kargil. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1996 and major in 1999. During the four years of service, he underwent various training courses including the Young Officers' Course at the Infantry School Mhow, Commando Course at Belgaum, Course on Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at Pune, and Mountain Warfare Course at High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) at Sonmarg in Kashmir.
Operation Vijay (Kargil): 29 May 1999
During May 1999, Major M Saravanan’s unit 1 Bihar under the command of Col O P Yadav, got deployed in the Batalik sub-sector of Ladakh. As 'Operation Vijay' was launched on 26 May, the unit troops were tasked to capture the enemy’s nearest observation post on Jubar Complex, the Jubar OP, at the height of 16,400 feet. However, the first attack failed due to the lack of time given for the acclimatization. Within a week from the first attack, 1 Bihar launched an attack on the Jubar Hill and despite stiff resistance, a small location near Jubar Hill was captured by the dawn. Thereafter, on 28 May 1999, the Charlie Company under the command of Major M Saravanan was assigned the task of capturing Point 4268 on Jubar Ridge, a well-fortified enemy post at an altitude of 14,000 feet in the Batalik sub-sector of Kargil. The terrain comprised of jagged rocks covered with snow and knife-edge ridges with no greenery.
Following the failure of two attacks, Major Saravanan realized that a frontal attack was the only way. The enemy was well entrenched on heights but the steep climb did not deter him. The attack was launched at 4 a.m. on 29 May with his final command to the men, “Do or Die”. He killed two enemy soldiers by firing a rocket launcher and was wounded in the stomach by shrapnel, but he did not give up. His commanding officer asked him to fall back in view of many casualties, but Maj Saravanan replied that he was close to the objective and would not spare the enemy who had killed his men. He added, ‘Nothing will happen to your Genghis Khan’, which was his code name. He charged through a hail of bullets and killed two more enemy soldiers. He was the first to reach the top but received a bullet injury in the head at 6.30 a.m. and fell into a ravine. His unit 1 Bihar took an oath to capture Point 4268, which they did by the 6th of July. Besides Major M Saravanan, the other brave hearts, who laid down their lives in this operaiton included Nk Ganesh Prasad Yadav, Lance Naik Bidyanand Singh, Sep Pramod Kumar, Sep Hardeo Prasad, and Sep SSP Gupta. Major Saravanan’s body could be recovered, 37 days after his death, following a bitter fight. The entire Jubar ridge was cleared by 8th July.
Major M Saravanan was a valiant and gritty officer, who laid down his life in the service of the nation before he could even turn 27. The body of Major M Saravanan was brought by air and the Tri-colour draped coffin was placed at the feet of his mother. Hundreds of garlands were placed on it and thousands of people came to pay homage to the hero of Batalik- the first officer casualty of Operation Vijay. He was posthumously awarded the "Vir Chakra" and it was presented to his mother Smt Amrithavalli Mariyappan by President K Narayanan.
Major Mariappan Saravanan is survived by his mother Smt Amrithavalli Mariyappan, and two sisters Dr Chitra and Smt Revathy.
Harikrishna
2023 at 12:46 pmI feel very jealous when I think of you at the age of 27 Veera Sorgam You are Rajarajan You are Rajendran You are Karigalan You are Veera Pandyan You are Subhas Chandra Bose You are Chatrapati Shivaji Bharathai Amritvalli . During the Sangam period, you and your mother’s presence is Purananuru. Now this is Purananuru 2.0. If this happens again, it can only be done by you and Bharata Madha, Amritavalli Atha, not even my father Eesan.உன்னை நினைக்கும் போது மிகவும் பொறாமையாக உள்ளது 27 வயதில் வீர சொர்கம் நீயே ராஜராஜன் நீயே ராஜேந்திரன் நீயே கரிகாலன் நீயே வீர பாண்டியன் நீயே சுபாஸ் சந்திர போஸ் நீயே சத்தரபதி சிவாஜி பாரத்தாய் அமிர்தவள்ளி . சங்க காலத்தில் நீயும் உன் தாயின் வரளாறே புறநானுறு தற்போது இது புறநானுறு 2.0 இது மீண்டும் நிகழ்ந்தால் அது உன்னாலும் பாரத மாதவாகிய அமிர்தவள்ளி ஆத்தாவினாலும் மட்டும் முடியும் என் அப்பன் ஈசனாலும் முடியாது
SAUMITRA Das
2023 at 12:47 pmI miss you dear we are the part of KV gaya Bihar 1987-89 batch
Rajkumar s
2023 at 12:49 pmMy real father major shri, saravanan . my past real moment , national level championship swimming state unit tamilnadu rajkumar s winner gold on 1999.place Thanushkodi (Ramesh
waram)
Rajkumar
2023 at 12:50 pmMy real father major saravanan
Rajkumar s
2023 at 1:44 pmMy real father major shri,saravanan. by, rajkumar s national level championship batmitton (gold level prize)2002 Ariyalur sports play ground ,i proud of it’s my self & my own father. By shri, rajkumar s
Mintu Roy
2023 at 12:51 pmI know Major Sarvanan since from my school days. He was senior to me and batch mate of my elder brother and sister. Since from those days he was always full of energy and life.
Although his loss can’t be fulfilled but he will always remain in our prayers.
Jai Hind Anna we r very proud of you.
May you rest peacefully.
Sub Maj Shakti Singh
2023 at 12:52 pmA decent salute to the brave soldier and son of the nation. Bhagwan unke parisar ko himmat aur housla de.
Sathish Kumar
2023 at 12:54 pmJai Hind. I salute for your sacrifice for our proud nation.
Santhosh Kumar. C
2023 at 12:55 pmDear Mrs. Amrithavalli Mariyappan
I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to you, for bringing up a son like Major M Saravanan and giving him the intent to serve the nation. A big salute to you for bearing the pain of losing your loved one for the safety of the nation. May his holy soul rest in peace and may God give strength to you and your family members who left behind. Big salute for the proud தமிழன்…… Vande mataram……
Anadhanganesan
2023 at 1:46 pmOne day nanum intha maari oru war la oru vera maram ennoda nattukaaka seththa pothum ……
Antha nallukkakaaka kaththukittu irukeen na ……jaihind
Cp Singh
2023 at 12:56 pmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60GY0YckUCg
Balakot Strike 2019 Tamil Hindi Dubbed Full Movie
Major M Sarvanand Releted Tamil Movi Link
Kasirajan M
2023 at 1:25 pmTo my Brave Brother “Genghis”,
You lost your beloved dad in young age at 17; you missed your beloved family and struggle with sleepless nights only for the TRI-COLOR.
I write this letter to show my gratitude to you.
My Brave, During Kargil war, on 29th May 1999, you was hit by shrapnel and injured but continued fighting. What a determination! Courage!
While your commanding officer ordered you to retreat, you killed two more invaders but this time you was hit by a bullet in the head.
India won the kargil war 1999 because of your braveness and courage.
Thanks Major.
You deserve our special respect always!
My Salute to you “Major M Saravanan VrC”