Parents visit Maj Unnikrishnan’s alma mater, say he had wanted a ‘lion’s death’

For K Unnikrishnan and Dhanalakshmi, it was a poignant moment on Saturday when they visited the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla where, as a cadet of the 94th course from 1995-98, their only son had embarked upon his journey of becoming a soldier.

Seated in the anteroom of the Oscar Squadron, the father of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan appeared calm and composed. “Here and now, I do not feel the loss…but his mother does…their relationship was rooted in friendship,” he said, urging his wife to be ‘very brave.’

Their son, an NSG commando killed while fighting terrorists at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during the 26/11 attacks, had told them he would die a ‘lion’s death’ and lay down his life gallantly in ‘an episode which would assume national significance.’

On November 28, his words proved fatally prophetic. “He used to tell us that one day, he would be among the valiant soldiers who make the supreme sacrifice,” said the father, a retired ISRO officer. Terming NDA as the ‘parent house’ of Sandeep’s career in the Armed Forces, he said his son was ‘born to be a soldier.’ “From an early age, he was determined to join the Defence Forces, while I had hoped to see him as an engineer — he had a genuine flair for the profession. But he had made up his mind in class eight. Instead of preparing for IIT entrance examination, he concentrated on physical training and sports, in which he won many laurels,” he said.

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