My Hero, My Inspiration

7/31/2019 My Hero, My Inspiration

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My Hero, My InspirationIt was raining heavily outside. Sudeen was gazing on the streets from the

window. He could see a woman dressed in a traditional saree, holding her

new born in her hands, protecting her from the mighty drops by wrapping

him in the pallu(the loose end) of her saree but the drops alwaysoverpowered her constant efforts .Though Sudeen was constantly seeing her

; what can u think of a 12 year old boy to grasp from this incident in

general cases absolutely nothing . Still he was watching with interest how a

mother wanted to protect her baby and this incident took a firm place in his

memory forever .

Then suddenly a voice called out asking him to come at the

dining table for dinner. He replied I m coming dad, m coming

That night was really scary for him as the constant thunder

broke his sleep again and again. Then suddenly Sudeen woke up, his eyes

terrified , sweat covering all over his fair face and he went in his dads room

and asked him dad , when is this lightning gonna end?

His dad replied Looks like you are scared, my son

Yes I am dad

Well then you can sleep here with me

Ya sure I will but . you ought to tell me a story now coz m

not feeling sleepy

Hhmm ok I will just wait a minute

Then his dad swung back in his memory lane to recollect any ironic story of

World War II as he was a researcher in that field and had read lots of stuffregarding it. But ironically nothing struck him at that time. And then his

eyes fell on the calendar and he could see the date was 11th

January 2006.

The date also brought him memories of an unsung World War II hero and

then he began speaking

Son during the early 1940s, the year of the second world war,

Norway had been neutral and so the Nazi Germans began their invasion over

them For all Norwegians it was unexpected. But they had no option

except to fight for their freedom and one man stood tall and offered the

required resistance to the germans

Suddenly the boy interrupted Dad who was he?

Captain Gunnar Snsteby and surprisingly today it is his 88th

birthday son.He is a great man and he fought bravely in the war, he wasnt

afraid of the tyrant Nazis and saved many of his countrymen by risking his

own precious life


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He had taken the invasion personally resenting "the humiliation

of seeing those green-uniformed creatures tramping our streets," as he

recalled in his memoirs. He was named The Agent 24 after taking training

from the SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUIVE. One of his first

assignments was to gather information about the new U-boat and port

facilities the Germans were building at Trondheim, in the far north. When

his colleague's radio transmitter broke down, Snsteby crossed into Sweden

again to obtain spare parts. To facilitate his travels within Norway he taught

himself how to forge an array of German documents. His many disguises

enabled him to evade the Gestapo easily.

In summer 1942 he stole banknote-printing plates of the

Norwegian state bank to help the SOE fund operations in Norway,

smuggling them over the Swedish border. One of his accomplices in this

escapade was arrested by the Gestapo, prompting Snsteby to lie low in

Sweden.Operating in occupied territory, and ranked high on the Gestapo

list of wanted men, Sonsteby became a master of disguise. He operated

under 30 or 40 different names and identities, and the Germans did not learn

his real name until near the end of the war. They were never able to catch

him.

Thus he still remainsone of Norways most decorated war

heroes and always will be You know son it is my dream to someday meet

him face to face, But dont know when it can happen

All the time Sudeen was just seeing his fathers face and his

expressions as he told the story. And then he slept the whole night

peacefully near his father and was not scared of the lightning anymore

Thus from there on every fortnight Sudeens father always

revealed stories of great World War II heroes but in Sudeens memory the

story on Snsteby was etched like moss covered on bogwood..

So from there on five long years passed It was the 25nd

of May 2011 and it

was all hot and humid in his hometown ahmedabad The warm flowing

water of the river Sabarmati glistened with the reflection of the bright sunshining on it, bouncing off in ever direction like a beautiful crystal. The

bright blue sky was layered in the humid air, with no clouds to be seen.

Sudeen was getting this lucid yet luscious view of the river from the window

of his home.

That day it was his result and to his surprise he wasnt able to

surpass his expectations. He was heart-broken, thinking where was he


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wrong, why his hard work had not paid off. His father was naturally upset

too but didnt scold him coz he knew his son had worked hard but it just

didnt paid off.

Then Sudeen asked his dad Why it always happens with me dad??

He replied Oh come on son everyone has to accept failure and

consider it as a stepping stone towards their future success.

But is it that easy dad??

Actually it isnt son but what do you say, was it that easy for Norway

to overcome the Nazis???

No, certainly not

You know those were five dark years for Norway but they stood

firm, also Snsteby and his band did not have instant success and many of

their fellow freedom fighters were killed, as well as scores of innocent

Norwegians. But they never lost hope, never lost their efforts and always

stood tall offering the best possible resistance that they could.Hhmm it would have been seriously tough!!

So if they can fight under such circumstances, then why cant you??

Then within a flash Sudeen stood up from his chair and called out loud

Dad I will fight, this failure wont suppress me, instead it would bring the

best out of me

His dad then smiled and lovingly said Now thats my boy and then hugged

him firmly.

Now Sudeen was obstinate that he had to prove himself and to show

the world that he is a true fighter, just like his hero Gunnar Snsteby. And

when a person firmly believes to attain anything then even god cannot

snatch it away from him.

That same day he was reading the news paper and to his surprise he

noticed an advertisement and he just ran into his fathers room, climbing two

steps on the stairs at one go and his breath going out. His father then glanced

towards him and Sudeen pointed towards the newspaper and fingers in the

direction of the advertisement.

Then his father read it out loud IN YOUR SHOES an Indo-

Norwegian Writing Competition.

He interrupted in between Yes dad its a writing competition and you knowI m gonna write about whom

And then they both shouted together Captain Gunnar Snsteby

Now as there were around two months for the school to re open so Sudeen

was determined to work hard regarding the story and everyday went into a

nearby library to get all the details regarding his hero and he observed many


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facts regarding Norway and about Snsteby. Every night he would share

those with his dad. Once he said

Dad you know Snsteby organised the destruction of 75,000 ration books,

which frustrated a German plan to reduce the already meager official ration.

When the allies invaded Normandy in June 1944, the Norwegian resistance

sabotaged the railways, preventing the Wehrmacht from sending

reinforcements southwards.

His father replied Oh really, I never knew that though he knew

everything and then smiled

Finally many days passed, Sudeen was busy regarding his story and seldom

did he waste time watching the television. But the 22nd

of July was different

and he knew that this was gonna be bad, really bad.

On the television screen all he could see was the journalist speakingToday after the twin attackthat shocked Norway and appalled the world,authorities in the Scandinavian country are searching for answers. Police

have charged a 32-year-old Norwegian man identified asover the twoattacks, which left at least 91 people dead. The suspect's motives are still

unclear, however.

Police report said that at least 84 people were killed in Friday's shooting on

the island of Utoya, one of the worst mass shootings in recent history. There,

a man disguised as a policeman opened fire on young people taking part in asummer camp organized by the youth wing of the ruling center-left Labor

Party. Just hours earlier, seven people had been killed in a bomb attackonOslo's government quarter.

Authorities think that..

He then exclaimed Dad what is this happening there?? Norway is not

a place which promotes violence, then how all this??

His father justified I know son but these people are insane and do not

think twice before doing such a harsh deed. No one would ever forgive such

ill minded creatures

Everyday from 22nd

July 2011 brought some news which hampered

Sudeen, hampered his views regarding the Norwegians, his dream of going

to Norway and meeting his hero. But somehow he completed his work and

mailed it to the authorities of the competition.

Still he was caught in a dilemma that what was the real Norway!! Was

it the one he read in books, was it worth all the sacrifices done by his hero or


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was it the one he was seeing in the news from the past few weeks. He was

just not able to jump out of it

The day 19th

of January 2012 which was Sudeens birthday, became even

more elated as he was selected by the judges of the competition as the

winner who would be given a 13 day trip to Norway as the prize. He was

very happy to win the competition but was still suffering from the dilemma

and wanted an answer from himself as soon as possible

Just a week after he won the competition he had a dream. In the dream

he saw his hero Snsteby and also he was talking to him. He was not able to

guess their conversation but he came to the conclusion that he had figured

out a way to end his dilemma.

He came to the conclusion that whatsoever the circumstances be he

would go to Norway just to know what the real Norway is, he would meet

Snsteby and get answer from him about the dilemma he was facing and he

hoped that Snsteby would end it

Finally the day came, 28th

of April. The day he was gonna fly to Norway. He

was a bit nervous but he knew he would be absolutely fine and would

certainly meet his hero sooner or later.

He took his fathers blessing told him goodbye and then he was on his

way to Norway. He was happy to visit a place he always cherished as a kid.

But on the contrary he was scared too about how the people would behave

with him and would he be able to cope up. But his hero remained as an

inspiration to him

In Norway he visitedEdvard Munch Museum, Norwegian Folk

Museum, Vigeland National Park, Akershus Fortress, Karl Johans gate and

various other beautiful places but he just wasnt able to forget 4th

of May coz

it just changed his perception of the world.

On that day in the morning Sudeen was in Solli plass, a square in Oslo, the

capital of Norway. And he was looking at the statue of Gunnar Snsteby.

He had read a lot about it that the statue was sculpted by Per Ung and

portrays a 25-year-old Snsteby standing next to his bicycle and it was

unveiled by King Harald of Norway. And then suddenly he felt a hand at hisback. As soon as he could move he heard a shaking voice

Oh, how young I used to be in those days!!

Sudeen just could not believe his eyes. His eyes became big and with an

even bigger smile on his face he exclaimed with joy Captain Gunnar

Snsteby!!

He replied Yes indeed I am, boy with a faint smile.


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Then Sudeen expressed all he had filled in his heart and also about the

tragedy of Norway, the dilemma he faced thereafter and to it Snsteby

Justified The Norway I always fought for is still the same and I wish it

remains but the way of looking at any situation needs to be changed.Even in

the darkest times, we shall shine our lights to help those who are floating

aimlessly in their gloom."

Snstebys point was proved when that night Sudeen was gazing out

of the window as it was raining and all he could see was a woman who was

getting drenched in the rain but was protecting her new born, still the mighty

drops always over powered her constant efforts. Then Sudeen just smiled

and wrote in his diary

Believe in the Light and you will never be in the dark.

From the Light We came, to the Light We all shall return.

A Tribute To..

Captain Gunnar Snsteby

By MASOOM VYAS

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My Hero, My Inspiration