A crystal clear ambition and a life well-served

Even as a child, Major Akshay Girish Kumar’s dream was to serve the country. He was in class 5 when he walked up to his grandfather and said that he wanted to hold a rifle. He was so attracted to guns and rifles that he said he would use them one day.

“That day, he told us that he wanted to join the Army. He was clear that this was his life’s calling,” S L N Sharma, his grandmother’s brother, told DH when Kumar’s mortal remains were brought to his residence at the Jade Garden gated community.

Coming from a family of Army men, Kumar was determined to serve the nation. “God gave him birth only for glory’s sake and not for life. Today, his glory has drawn so many here. It is his work that got him the glory. As a student at Jain College, he would tell me, ‘Taata (grandpa), if at all I join any service, it would be the Indian Army’,” Sharma said.

Kumar’s relatives, while grief-stricken at his demise, said it was a matter of pride that he laid down his life for the country. “I’ve been seeing him since the day he was born. He had a good sense of humour and was also a sportsman. He could have studied engineering but chose to join the Army instead. I am 80 now and he was just over 30. Maybe destiny had it that he had to die for the country,” said Vijaya Dev, his relative. “It’s so disheartening to find that he’s no more.”

Drone security

A drone hovered overhead when Major Akshay Girish Kumar’s family was performing his pre-cremation rituals at their villa. The drone was later deployed at the Hebbal crematorium, too. However, when asked, neither police nor the army seemed to be aware of who was operating the drone.

Wife ‘expressionless’

As Major Kumar’s body was brought into his house, his wife Sangeetha stood expressionless while her relatives stood by her side. His little daughter, Naina, accompanied by her grandparents, walked in with chips in her hand, oblivious of the tragedy. The child smiled at the large gathering outside the house.

A relative who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that Sangeetha was shell-shocked by the news of her husband’s demise. “We were told that he fought back even after sustaining brutal injuries. He smiled as death approached him,” the relative said.