They say life is what you make it, and it’d be absolutely true for Lt. Cdr. Bijay Nair, an Indian Navy veteran, who also served in the Kargil War in 1999 as a young 22-year-old.
Lt. Cdr. Bijay grew up in a small 150sq.ft. home in Bhandup, but he had big dreams-he dreamt of donning the uniform one day and serving the nation. How would he do that, he had no idea. But like he says, every time in life he’s wanted to do something significant, achieve something, life always somehow opened the door to show him the way. Or maybe, the superpower luck, as he calls it, had something to do with it.
And it was that luck that has always helped him at different phases in his life-whether it was getting to meet a Naval officer out of nowhere when he wanted to join the Navy, or whether it was giving him a second chance to fulfill his dream when he was studying Engineering.
And after failed attempts and medical issues, when he finally donned the whites of the Navy, it was a dream come true for him! But little did he know, that instead of going into training, he’d head straight for the Kargil War, in the Operation Talwar led by the Indian Navy.
10 years of service in the Navy, Lt. Cdr. Bijay Nair has had incredible experiences. So join us in this conversation where he shares with us, the many kahaniyaan from his life-from what inspired him to join the Navy, to witnessing gangs and gang wars up close; and from stories of the Kargil War to his life after the Navy, spent on helping aspirants and running marathons!
This one’s a conversation you’d never want to end-it’s a serendipitous journey that Lt. Cdr. Bijay has had, and the stories he shares are nothing short of incredible! Do not miss this episode.
We also spoke about:
- Lt. Cdr. Bijay’s take on hard work and destiny
- His gangster uncle
- Witnessing crimes as a child
- His dream of serving the nation
- Preparing for the NDA
- His short-lived dream
- Changing gears to Engineering
- When life gave another chance to join the Navy
- Learnings from the war
- Retirement from the Navy
- Life after the Navy
- Lessons for the youth
#indiannavy #indianarmy #podcast #humansofbombay
TIME STAMPS:
00:00- Precap
01:16- Welcome
01:51- Lt. Cdr. Bijay’s take on hard work & destiny
03:09- Dialling back the clock
05:01- Life in a 150 sq.ft. chawl
06:04- How his uncle became a gangster
08:20- What did he want to be growing up?
08:43- Witnessing gangs, weapons & gang wars
09:50- Has he witnessed crimes?
11:15- Has Bijay seen any famous dons?
11:37- How did the dream to serve the nation come about?
12:35- Why Navy?
14:15- The inspiration for Navy
16:00- Full-circle moment in life
20:08- Family’s reaction to his decision of joining the Navy
21:47- Clearing the NDA exams
25:30- When he almost fulfilled his dream…
25:27- The shattering of dreams…
26:33- Pivot into Engineering
28:11- Engineering days
29:13- A second chance at joining the Navy!
31:00- A miraculous intervention!
31:44- Dream come true!
32:22- The Kargil War
32:54- Why did the Kargil War happen?
37:02- The inhuman treatment with late Lt. Saurabh Kalia
38:26- Announcing war
38:57- Bravery of our soldiers
41:08- Navy’s role in the Kargil War
43:28- After the Kargil War
44:41- The pride & euphoria that the uniform gives!
46:09- A soldier’s take on wars
47:02- Learnings from the Kargil War
48:18- How was it after we won the war?
48:58- The most difficult mission in his tenure?
49:28- Retiring to support his wife’s career
52:59- Life after Navy - helping aspirants & running marathons
56:03- Helping aspirants
1:00:55- Show & Tell
1:03:36- Lt. Cdr. Bijay Nair’s book
1:04:40- Lessons for the youth
1:06:05- Thank you
The Humans of Bombay Show, hosted by our CEO and Founder Karishma Mehta, is a Humans of Bombay original where we celebrate real-life heroes.
𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐓𝐮𝐛𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 - 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲!
Links:
Humans of Bombay
Instagram: / officialhumansofbombay
Uncovered by Humans of Bombay: youtube.com/@humansofbombayun...
LinkedIn: / mycompany
Lt. Cdr. Bijay Nair
Instagram: / bijaynair
LinkedIn: / lt-cdr-bijay-nair
Twitter: / ltcdrbijaynair
Karishma Mehta
Instagram: / karimehta05
LinkedIn: / karishma-mehta-b22151174
About Humans of Bombay -
Humans of Bombay is a movement that started 9 years ago. We believe that every person has a story to tell and we want to help them tell these stories. In these years we’ve published stories across genres - stories of love, hope, faith, and courage. And through our storytelling, we’ve built an engaged community of over 5M!
Our idea is simple - to strike a chord with our community and catalog the beat of humanity, one story at a time.