Bravery of Indian Defence Personnel

Dear Sir/Madam,
A nation, if it wants to retain its freedom, must honour its martyrs and soldiers. We Indians have been guilty of grave neglect of our martyrs, ex-servicemen, soldiers and their families. We hardly remember those who have given their lives or limbs for the country. The perfunctory homage paid on Independence Day and other such occasions is not enough. A salary, a pension, the grant of a piece of land or the dealership of a petrol pump are not a sufficient reward for the loss of a dear son, brother or husband. Can we pay the price of our soldiers' and martyrs' blood by some currency notes or a pension?
Our soldiers fight and die for the honour of our country, yet we forget them after a few months or years. For example, on July 2006, the death anniversary function of Kargil War hero, Param Vir Chakra recipient, Captain Manoj Pandey, was attended, apart from the hero's family, only by some members of an NGO. And this is the case of someone who was awarded the highest honour of India and whose statue has been installed in a public park named after him. What of those who did not win bravery awards but died fighting for us?
I came to know of four families whose only sons have sacrificed their lives fighting for India. Their families are lonely and desolate. The public does not know about them or remember them. A soldier loves his family. While he is fighting for us, his family is left to face the innumerable difficulties of life alone. Should we not make committees to visit the soldiers' families and help them cope with the problems of life in the absence of the head of the family? Such a move will give solace and strength to our soldiers. Assured that their families are being looked after, they will give be able to give their full attention to the task of protecting the country.

We, the citizens of India, must pay our debt of gratitude to these soldiers, ex-servicemen and martyrs' families. Should not the Nation integrate these families and shower love and respect on them? If we honour them we will be honouring Mother India through them. Because of them we and our children sleep in peace. Here is a simple scheme to accomplish this:
"Honour Our Soldiers"

We should get the names from the District Soldiers' Boards of each district the names of all the soldiers, ex-servicemen and martyrs of that district. Let the schools invite and honour these soldiers, ex-servicemen and their families, as well as the martyrs' families of all ranks, in their 15 August, 26 January and Annual Day functions. They may be presented with flowers or cards. They should be requested to narrate to the students and other participants the stories of their bravery and valour. Hopefully, they may be invited by Lion's Clubs, the Rotarians, the Arya Samaj Schools, the Ramakrishna Vidyalayas etc. If you like the scheme please initiate and implement it in your schools.

Later, as the movement spreads, the more conscious amongst the public may invite them to their family functions. This scheme is immensely advantageous. Through its implementation the public will become conscious of the safety aspect of the country and of the sad reality of martyrdom. Through this simple scheme our students will imbibe bravery and patriotism and our hearts will become large and break out of the cage of narrow self-interest.

The cost of printing extra invitation cards and the necessary postage will hardly be much. Thus we can pay our homage to those whose valiantly guard our frontiers. Let us know them, love them and cherish them.
I hope Pondicherry will pioneer this scheme.
In the service of Mother India,
Ms Shyam Kumari

Ms Shyam Kumari was born in Muzaffarnagar U.P. in 1934. There she studied in the Vedic Putri Pathshala and S. D. Degree College up to her B.A. In 1965 she passed her M.A. from Lucknow University. She has read widely in Hindi and English literature, as well as religious and spiritual books.

Since her childhood she had a yearning to find God. In 1969 the Divine Mother accepted her in Sri Aurobindo Ashram and appointed her a teacher in the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education.

Hundreds of her poems, lyrics, stories, plays, literary and social essays, both in English and Hindi, have appeared in national and international journals. She has also written and published more than 30 books, some running into several reprints. Many of her books have been translated into Hindi, Oriya, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi and Gujarati. She has written path-breaking rhymes and story books for children. In 1998 she launched a Hindi quarterly magazine, Swarna Hansa which she, single-handedly, writes, edits and publishes.

In 1998, she established Vraja Trust, a public charitable trust, and is at present its managing trustee. In 2001 started Sri Aravinda Sanskrit Vidyalaya, in Pondicherry, India, to impart free Sanskrit education to children and adults alike and she is its Chairperson. In 2005 she launched the, "Let Each School Adopt a Hero" scheme.

Books By Ms Shyam Kumari
Our Heroes: Param Vir Chakra Recipients Series
1: Major Somnath Sharma
2: Naik Jadunath Singh
3: Company Havildar Major Piru Singh
4: Lance Naik Karam Singh
5: Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane
6: Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria
7: Subedar Joginder Singh
8: Major Shaitan Singh
9: Major Dhan Singh Thapa
10: Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid
11: Lieutenant Colonel A.B. Tarapore
12: Lance Naik Albert Ekka
13: Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal
14: Major Hoshiar Singh
15: Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon
16: Naik Subedar Bana Singh
17: Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran
18: Captain Vikram Batra
19: Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey
20: Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav
21: Rifleman Sanjay Kumar