Padmapani Acharya


Padmapani Acharya, MVC was an officer in the Indian Army. He was awarded the second highest Indian military honour, Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for his actions during the Kargil War on 28 June 1999.

Personal life

Maj. Acharya was originally from Odisha and was a resident of Hyderabad, Telangana. Maj Acharya, was married to Charulatha. Acharya's father, Jagannath Acharya, was a retired Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force, during 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. He then worked with the Defence Research and Development Laboratory in Hyderabad. Maj. Acharya was survived by his parents, wife and his daughter, Aparajita, who was born a few months after his death. Aparajita Acharya has been an NCC cadet.

Military Career

Acharya graduated from the Officers Training Academy, Madras in 1993 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 2nd battalion, The Rajputana Rifles.

Kargil War

At the outbreak of the Kargil War, Acharya was in command of a Company of 2 Raj Rif. Acharya’s previous conversations with his family, give an insight about his psyche and calm state of mind. About ten days before his march to the peak, he had written to his father, discussing personal as well as military issues. In a heart-numbing, straightforward letter, he said,
“Dear Papa… don’t worry about casualties- it’s a professional hazard beyond our control. At least it is for a good cause. Tell mamma that combat is an honour of a lifetime and I could not think of anything less. What better way to serve the nation? Tell a story a day from the Mahabharata to Charu so that your grandchild imbibes good values.”

Maha Vir Chakra

The citation for the Maha Vir Chakra reads as follows:

In popular culture

The events of Battle of Tololing was adapted as one of the prominent battle scenes in the Hindi, war film LOC Kargil in which actor Nagarjuna Akkineni portrayed the role of Acharya.