BANGALORE: In our worldly charades, the sacrifices of those who gave their lives for the security and freedom of the nation is often lost in oblivion. Albeit, students of PES Institute of Technology (PESIT) on Friday displayed a unique gesture by honouring martyrs from the Indian armed forces.
Families of nine war veterans were honoured by students, as part of Samarpana, an initiative to resurrect the lost memories of the great heroes who lost their lives during service to the nation. An amount of Rs 1.5 lakh collected entirely by the students was disbursed among the family members.
“It is unfortunate that soldiers do not get the same respect that they did sixty years ago. A kind of alienation exists now towards the families of martyrs. One must understand that we come from the same society as everyone else,” said Subhashini Vasanth, wife of late Col Vasanth, who lost his life on the morning of July 30, 2007 in Uri Sector in Kashmi valley in a gun battle with Afghan terrorists.
Speaking after honouring the families of the veterans, DG & IGP Shankar M Bidari urged students to discard regional identities. “I want you to keep your regional identities at home. If we do not feel Indian, there is no future for this country,” he said. Lauding the efforts of students, Prof M R Doreswamy, founder of PES Institutions, said, “It is great that students have mobilized funds for the war martyrs families. The management will contribute `2 lakh for the families.”
The families of late Sepoy Hanumaiah, late Havaldar DB Gaikwad, late Havaldar D David, late Sepoy C Puttappa, late Havaldar A George, late Spr Arvind Drake, late SHGD A Muniappa, late Maj MSM Khan Ghori and late Maj Ashok Sangali were honoured by students of PESIT.