Meet the tea seller who served the army during the Kargil war

Naseem Ahmad, a 71-year-old native of Uttarakhand, serves tea at his simple roadside stall situated near the police station in the Dras town of Kargil. However, he is not an ordinary tea seller but an unsung hero of the 1999 Kargil war.

Despite shells raining down daily and all the people of the town fleeing to safer areas, he stayed back on the request of the army to provide tea and food to the soldiers.

"I was the only one here, everyone else left. Shelling used to happen from that side of the border. It fell on many buildings. Some were completely burned down ," Naseem Ahmad says.

Like a true soldier, Ahmad let patriotism take over his fear for his life and did not shut his tea stall during the war, becoming a saviour of sorts for the soldiers.

"I was stopped by the army, they said who will provide them with food and tea. I was going to leave and was already in a vehicle but they took me out of it. When the shelling used to happen I used to shudder and ask what is happening. I used to fear it a lot."

The army helped Naseem and provided him with ration supplies and other assistance to keep the kitchen operational during the duration of the conflict.

"The soldier used to come and clean the utensils by themselves, I couldn't clean them. I used to only cook for them that was my only job."

Naseem's bravery and commitment to the army during the war is remembered by many in the town even today.

A local says the he knows Naseem for 30 -35 years. "When the Kargil war started he didn't leave here. He kept serving them tea and taking care of them. We all left but he stayed and served the army, kept his shop open. We came back to check on our house and livestock and even then his shop was open," the local adds.

For the two months of the war, Ahmad was like a friend to the soldiers and to the visiting media men, listening to their stories and sharing in their grief and joy.