When we talk of the greatest love stories of all times, we talk about Heer-Ranjha, Romeo-Juliet and Shirin-Farhad, all of which are fictional. But very often, the most touching love stories are the ones we witness in the real world – in flesh and bones. One such poignant story is that of Late Captain Vikram Batra, who laid down his life protecting his motherland in the Kargil War of 1999.

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The story of Vikram Batra's exemplary courage is one that has often been told and one that still gives us goosebumps. To willingly put yourself in a life-threatening situation for the love of your country is a sacrifice only a few men are capable of. What many of us don't know about is the heart-touching love story of Captain Vikram Batra and his girlfriend Dimple Cheema.

The two met at Punjab University in 1995, where both of them were enrolled under MA English. Vikram soon left the university after he got selected at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradoon, in 1996. But they had already fallen in love and the distance only made their hearts grow fonder. It was a love affair that would only grow stronger with time.

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The pressures of marriage were heavy and they both knew they were meant for each other. In an interview with The Quint, Dimple Cheema revealed the beautiful love story that unfolded between her and Vikram Batra. On one occasion, Vikram and Dimple's families were on a visit to Mansa Devi and Gurudwara Sri Nada Sahab. As they completed the parikrama, Vikram said to Dimple “Congratulations, Mrs Batra.” It was then she realised he had been holding her dupatta all the while. It's true what they say, army men know how to love.

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When Dimple grew restless because of the pressure of getting married, Vikram, in true filmy style, took out his blade, slashed his thumb and used it as sindoor to fill her 'maang'. Army men know when to listen to their hearts. Maybe it's the battlefield that makes them value love even more.  In their hearts, they were already married but a ritual wedding was in the pipeline when Vikram was called for the Kargil war.

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His courageous offensive on Tiger Hill saw him take down the enemy single-handedly. He, along with his fellow armymen, successfully captured peak 4875 – one of the most difficult to capture peaks in the Kargil war. As they neared the top of the peak, Batra saw one of his men getting shot. Never one to leave the side of a dying comrade, he rushed to rescue the injured soldier, despite heavy gunfire from the enemy. Captain Vikram Batra was fatally shot by an enemy sniper, and was forever immortalised in the hall of fame of Indian heroes.

Though fate played a cruel turn in their love story, Dimple kept Vikram's memory alive and has preserved his letters and gifts as tokens of his love. She chose not to marry and takes pride in what Vikram did for the country. Not all heroes get a happily ever after, but perhaps that's the price a hero pays to become a hero. When Captain Vikram Batra gave the supreme sacrifice in Kargil on 7 July 1999, it was not one but two souls who sacrificed themselves at the altar of duty.

Sources: The Quint, Quora, CatchNews