20 years on, Kargil hero's teachers remember their star student

Twenty years after the Kargil war, teachers at the 'Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey UP Sainik School' here remembered "as if it was only yesterday" their conversations with the brave soldier who lost his life in the 1999 conflict and was such an inspiration that his school was renamed after him.

Captain Manoj Pandey, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for exhibiting exemplary valour, was a brilliant student "bestowed with natural talent", they recalled.

"Manoj was an individual bestowed with natural talent, and was not interested in approaching a concept or theorem the orthodox way. In fact, he self-devised some methods in the subject, which were new and innovative. I had joined as a teacher, and even I learnt from him," Rajeev Kumar Pandey, who taught mathematics to the braveheart in classes 10, 11 and 12, told PTI.

Showering praises on his former student, who was awarded the country's highest military honour, Rajeev Kumar Pandey said Manoj was good in academics and had a "special interest for cross-country race".

Rajeev Pandey, who retired from teaching two months ago, also, "Whenever the teachers discussed about Manoj, we felt as if it was yesterday that we were interacting with one of our best students. While teaching him and evaluating his answer sheets, I felt that as if the examinee (Manoj) is better than the examiner."
The alumni section of the school's website says, "He is the guiding light to not just the cadets of the school but the whole nation. Manoj Pandey belonged to the 1987-93 batch of school."
Taking pride in his student, the former mathematics teacher went on to say, "The Lucknow Sainik School is the only Sainik School in the country which is now known the by the name of its student."
R P Shukla, who taught Manoj chemistry, said, "Manoj maintained an above-average academic standard, but he excelled in various sports, be it hockey, football, cross-country or other atheletic events."