Capt Saurabh Kalia's father Dr N K Kalia and mother Vijaya Kalia at their residence in Palampur. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)
There was a large boulder in the middle of Neugal Khad stream that was Saurabh Kalia's favourite spot for bird watching.
When BJP leader Shantha Kumar told Saurabh's father, Dr D N Kalia, that he wanted to construct a memorial for him after he was martyred in the Kargil war and asked him to suggest a theme close to his son's heart, the father knew it would have to be nature, and the stream and the rock had to be a part of it.
“Saurabh used to spend hours watching birds while sitting on the huge boulder with his friends and the pine trees for company,” his father says, explaining the idea behind the 13-acre Saurabh Van Vihar that now stands as a memorial to the martyr.
A statue of Saurabh stands on his favourite rock. Around it, conceived and created by Nek Chand's son Arun Saini, is a tableau of 63 figures, in the trademark style of the creator of the Rock Garden, representing Indian soldiers and Pakistani infiltrators. Nearby, another boulder depicts Kargil Hill, on which the figure of an Indian soldier stands, Tricolour in hand.
