War Heroes Comic publication

My dear Col AS Butalia,
On 14 Aug 10 we will be releasing the Next Indian War Comic on Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan AC at the Vivekananda International Foundation (3 San Martin Marg Chankyapuri, New Delhi) in a function from 1730- 1930 h.

India is heading for a period of great turbulence and challenges in the form of Jihadi Terrorism and LWE as also the significant long term threat from China and the immediate and very real threat from Pakistan. Is our youth prepared to face these challenges? Is the country? Today the Indian Army itself is short of some 12000 young officers at the cutting edge. As a nation we need to reinvent ourselves if we are to surmount these major threats to our national security. We need to spread the time tested values of Duty , Honour, Country.

We need to get old fashioned Patriotism back into vogue in the national conciousness. How do we revive these fast eroding value- systems? How do we overcome the climate of cynisim, corruption and moral collapse? By creating a new, Post-independence Mythology around our Military Heroes who laid down their lives , who gave their today for our tommorrow.

Indian war comics seeks to immortalise these martyrs in our collective memory.The First of this series on Capt Vikram Batra was released by Gen VP Malik. The second was on Col NJC Nair AC, KC one of the highest decorated Indian Army officers. The Latest is on the Hero of Mumbai, the saviour of 26/11- Maj Sandeep UnnikrishnanAC - The braveheart of Mumbai.

If we forget such national heroes and icons we do ourselves a great dissevice as a nation and as a people. Nations are built on the trans personal values of Patriotism, courage and Sacrifice. These heroes did not lecture about these value. They lived them in their lives; they laid down their lives for their beliefs. The youth of a country needs such role models, such beacons of light in an encircling gloom of cynisism and the rising stink of corruption and debasement of values.

Please join us on the eve of Independence to salute the sacred memory of these Martyrs and to pass on their tales of valour to the coming generations.

The artist who has done the drawings for these War comics is from Manipur! Any greater proof that India is one?

May I request All ESM fraternity to join us in this noble venture? Could you please pass on this message?
Regards,
Maj Gen G D Bakshi
Deputy Director (Research)
Vivekananda International Foundation