He was excellent in studies as well as extracurricular activities," remembers his mother Chitra. "There was no game that he did not play in school; he was the captain of the volleyball and basketball teams. He was an exceptionally good orator too," she adds.
She never discouraged her second son from joining the army. "I used to tell him, your desire is mine. I will support you in whatever you do."
Chitra remembers how Harshan would perch himself on the kitchen slab near the stove, narrating all the stories to his mother and aunt when he came home on holidays from school.
"Because he was away from us at the Sainik School from a very young age, he was very special to us. He was a very loving and affectionate child," says Chitra.
Harshan always wanted to lead. In the 12th standard, he became the school captain. The same year, he was chosen as the best all-round cadet.
By the time he finished school, he had read all the war books he could lay his hands on.
Image: Top, Harshan was a good orator. Below, a school photograph; he is in the first row, extreme right
Also read: Kargil's first hero
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