BENGALURU: “My son belonged to this land and he has sacrificed his life for this country. I am sure you (public) would also be as proud of him as we are.” These were the words of Meghana, mother of Nagrota attack martyr Major Akshay Girish Kumar, before she left Hebbal crematorium on Thursday.
After the final rites of Akshay were performed, Meghana, wife of Girish, who is also an ex-serviceman stood in silence for a while and then thanked public for all the support. She was brimming with immense pride, which was evident in her tone.
Amid chanting of ‘Akshayji Amar Rahe,’ the family of the martyr looked composed and they were even seen consoling the guests and friends of Akshay. Father Girish was handling the huge crowd, who had come to pay their last respects to Akshay. He thanked public for standing with them during tough times.
Wife Sangeetha stood with 2-year-old Naina, who was totally unaware that her father would never return. A friendly wave by her coupled with an innocent smile was a moving sight.
“I am 80 years old and he died at the age of 31. May be he was destined to die for the country,” said grandfather SLN Sharma.
SLN Sharma, who is also an ex-serviceman said, “He was born for glory, not life. He was of the third generation in the family, who served for defence. When he was a kid, he was always attracted to the rifles and badges. On seeing his grandfather’s rifles, he always said he would use those one day.” “By the time, he entered graduation, he was determined to crack National Defence Academy (NDA) exams to join Army,” he added.
Meghana, who works as a school teacher, would teach the children of the workers too in her free time.