Archit Verdia

Biography

Lieutenant Archit Verdia hailed from the Udaipur district of Rajasthan. Drawn towards the Armed Forces from his childhood, he pursued his ambition and was eventually commissioned into 175 Medium Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery, an important combat support arm of the Indian Army. During 2011, Lt Verdia was deployed on the Siachen Glacier as part of Operation Meghdoot, India's mission to hold the world's highest militarised battlefield. Alongside his comrades, he braved not only the hostile enemy across the undefined border but also the punishing weather that defines Siachen. Troops endured frequent unprovoked firing, extreme cold and altitude, and living conditions that demanded tremendous patience and endurance. Soldiers were housed in fibre glass huts perched on the ice, each accommodating a handful of men; without a firm foundation, the melting ice beneath and the fierce winds could loosen and shift these structures. On the night of 21 July 2011, Lt Verdia was sharing a fibre glass hut with Major Gurphej Singh Cheema at Ashok Post, located at an altitude of about 19,000 feet. For reasons that remained unknown, the hut caught fire during the night. As the flames spread, fellow troops launched a massive effort to bring the blaze under control, but despite using every resource at their disposal they were unable to save the two officers; four other soldiers sustained burn injuries in the attempt. Lt Archit Verdia succumbed to his burns and was martyred. A dedicated soldier and a fine officer, he laid down his life in the service of the nation amid the most unforgiving conditions on earth.