KOZHIKODE: Forum for Art and Culture of Eagles (FACE), an ex-servicemen’s group, is all set to celebrate Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26 in a different way.
The organisation will commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War in 1999 by releasing ‘Cantonment Kathakal’, the first-ever collection of military memoirs in Malayalam. The book has 13 stories, penned by writers who once donned the uniform or their spouses who spent a considerable amount of their lives in military cantonments.
Noted author C R Parameswaran, author of Indian Rainbows Col Sonia Cherian, former editor of Caravan magazine Kunju Nambrath, and short story writer C Santosh Kumar, are also part of the writing team. The book is edited by soldier-turned-writer Hari Arayammakul, who has penned several military memoirs. “The stories in the book will help readers understand how a soldier’s life is.
Some of them showcase the facts about the lives of soldiers in military camps rather than the exaggerated stories that are shown in commercial movies. Cantonment Kathakal tries to pass the message that soldiers are neither demigods nor savages, but human beings with all natural emotions,” said V R Gopakumar, an ex-serviceman and the convenor of FACE.
Dr Sreelekha Sunil and Maya Sreekumar, two housewives who spent a considerable amount of time in military camps, write about the vagaries, surprises, and curiosities that awaited them in the cantonments. Mayor Beena Philip will formally release the book on August 5, giving another shot in the arm for Kozhikode toward its bid for UNESCO’s City of Literature title.
EAGLES (ex-airmen group for social excellence) has also submitted a proposal to Thottathil Raveendran MLA and the corporation authorities for setting up an exclusive library for military writings, including journals, in the city.
The library could act as a hub and a resource centre for students and youngsters who are seeking career opportunities in the armed forces.