Vinayak Gore

Biography

Captain Vinayak Gore was born on 21 July 1968 in the Vile Parle suburb of Mumbai. He studied at Parle Tilak Vidyalaya in Vile Parle and completed his graduation in commerce from N.M. College of Commerce, Mumbai. A passionate sportsman, he excelled at swimming, football and hockey, representing his college in inter-college football tournaments. His footballing skill earned him the nickname "Maradona" among his friends. Deeply inspired by the lives of Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar, he set his heart on serving in the Army, leaving his chartered accountancy articleship midway to appear for the Combined Defence Services examination. He passed out from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on 12 June 1991 and was commissioned into 31 Medium Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery. After a brief tenure in Punjab, he was posted to Jammu and Kashmir in 1992. In 1995 his unit was deployed in the militancy-affected Kupwara sector, where his duties included road-opening missions, cordon operations and search operations. On 26 September 1995, while manning a border post that was frequently targeted by the enemy, his post came under heavy fire during an unprovoked barrage. Though his men returned fire fiercely, a missile struck his position directly, and Captain Vinayak Gore succumbed to his injuries, laying down his life for the motherland.