Article from The Quint
It was in 1995 at Punjab University when Dimple first met Vikram.
The love between the two blossomed for four years. They had plans of getting married when Vikram returned from Kargil, but as it turned out, he never did.
But Vikram's death wasn't the end of their love story. Dimple after the news decided to return to Chandigarh and live with what she calls "memories worth a lifetime"
Here is the full transcript of Dimple's interview with The Quint.
I met Vikram for the first time in 1995 in Punjab Univeristy in Chandigarh, when we both had joined MA English. But as fate would have it, neither of us completed it. I guess it was destiny playing its part in bringing us together and becoming an integral part of each other.
I can still vividly remember the air of excitement in his voice when he called up to tell me that he had been selected in the IMA. That news had, in fact, put a seal in our relationship. But at times, later, because we used to be apart a lot, whenever I used to get pressurised about getting married, he always used to tell me: "take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get." I still try to follow that.
It was a ritual with us to visit the Mansa Devi temple and Gurudrwara Sri Nada Sahab, and on one such visit to the temple, while doing a "parikrama", he was walking behind me. On completing the parikrama', he suddenly said, "Congratulations, Mrs Batra." I swirled around to see him holding one end of my dupatta and he gave me the most beautiful smile and said, "Didn't you realise that this is the fourth time that we doing this parikrama'?" Needless to say, it left me totally speechless. That was the level of dedication he had towards our relationship.
On one of his visits, I raised the issue of marriage as I was feeling a bit insecure. Without saying anything, he took a blade out of his wallet, cut his thumb and filled my maang' with his blood. That is the most cherished moment of my life till date. Then later on, I used to tease him that he is "pura filmy."
How do I describe a lifetime of memories, though made only in four years of association? I could go on and on and the memories would still keep coming. Not a single day in the past 17 years, have I felt detached from you. It feels as if you are away on a posting. I feel so proud when people talk about your accomplishments. But along with that there is some regret in the corner of my heart. You should have been here, sharing, listening to the stories of your brave deeds, of how you are inspiration to the youth of today. I know in my heart that we are going to meet again, it's just a matter of time.
https://www.thequint.com/videos/2016/09/09/late-captain-vikram-batra-dimple-cheema-girlfriend-love-story-kargil-war-death