Even several hours after the daring rescue operation — ‘Op Palakkad’— by the Indian Army at Cherad Hill in Malampuzha on Wednesday, Ettumanoor native Lt Col R Hemant Raj was excited about how teamwork played an exemplary role in saving the life of a youth, R Babu.
An alumnus of the Sainik School Kazhakootam (SSKZM), the 36-year-old gives full credit to his alma mater for his accomplishments, the latest coming as part of a nine-member rescue mission of the Madras Regimental Centre, Wellington, Ooty. Hemant and the word ‘daring’ go hand in hand, which is even inscribed in his email ID. Born in the village of Pathirappally in Alappuzha, he came up through the ranks on the back of sheer willpower.