BANGALORE: Veer Naris, the widows of soldiers will receive the prestigious Gallantry Awards posthumously (Sena Medal) from the Indian Army during the Southern Command’s Investiture Ceremony being held at MEG on January 15. They have touching tales to tell.
Papa is not at home
Ayush is now four years old now and he lost his father Sepoy Rakesh Kumar Gupta while saving civilians from flash floods in Leh in August 6, 2010. He was just over two years then and didn’t know much about what had happened. “Now he tells everyone that his papa is not at home. I am garnering courage to support him and get really worried when Aysh falls sick. I am now living for him,” says Kiran Gupta. She had to take double blow when her second son, seven-month-old Anus succumbed to dengue fever just two months after losing her husband. Rakesh watched an Army recruitment rally and later and began rigorous practice sessions alone only to get into the Army in his first attempt. The family now runs a tea stall in Hyderabad and hopes to make a better living with the benefits from the state government.
The role model lives in their hearts When Major Atul Garje was three-years-old he used to barge into his mother Chandra Bhaga’s classroom screaming the alphabets. “He was very brilliant. He was the topper in Sainik School, NDA and whatever he did in his live, including squash. He won the Adarsh Vidyarhti (Model Student) title in school,” says Bhaga.
A chopper crash in Nashik took the life of Arm Aviation’s smartest instructor at the age of 28, leaving behind his brother, teachers, parents, wife and daughter Taniksha, who recently turned one. His father Uttam Rao is seeking government help following family concerns after his son’s death.