Natarajan Parthiban, KC

Biography

Lieutenant N. Parthiban was born on 21 August 1983, the son of Major V. Natarajan (Retired) and Mrs. Tamil Selvi. Because of his father's frequent postings, he studied at several schools across the country and completed his graduation in Physics from Bishop Heber College, Trichy. Deeply drawn to electronics and computer science, he even took up part-time work in that field during his college years, earning the nickname "Kalaban" from his peers for his admiration of Dr. Abdul Kalam. It was after joining the Senior Wing of the NCC and earning his 'C' Certificate that his desire to serve the nation in uniform intensified. Inspired by the words of Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, he left his MSc Physics studies to join the Officers Training Academy and was commissioned into the 5 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. In 2006 his unit was deployed in the Gurez Sector of Jammu & Kashmir. On 7 October 2006, acting as post commander, he led his team against heavily armed terrorists hidden nearby. Advancing close to their hideout, he came under sudden fire and was grievously wounded. Undeterred, he charged the enemy and single-handedly killed two terrorists in close combat before succumbing to his injuries. For his conspicuous gallantry he was awarded the Kirti Chakra.