It seems like yesterday, but two decades have gone by since we lost 527 soldiers who fought the Kargil War 1999 to ensure India and its citizens were unharmed. To remember these martyrs, Select Citywalk has organised a slew of activities over two days, aptly titled Let’s Not Forget. Beginning today, the mall will host performances by the Indian Army Jazz Band and a Malkhamb act on the song Deh Shiva Mohe, a film screening of Our Forces, Our Pride, and an flash mob performance by the Daler Khalsa Gatka Group – a professional gatka (Sikh martial art) group from Nawanshahr, Punjab.
This is the seventh year in a row when the mall will remember the war heroes for their valour and honour their kith and kin. Toppers from Army Public Schools will be felicitated with the Inder Sharma Kargil Awards for Academic Excellence. The awards were instituted last year in the memory of mall’s founder chairman late Inder Sharma.
Visitors can walk through a live bunker at the thematic installation and even get clicked at various Kargil locations at the thematic Augmented Reality booth – a chilling reminder of the challenges the armed forces of our country face while guarding the country’s frontiers. An Indian army themed market called The Military Affair has also been set up, thanks to the Army Women Welfare Association (AWWA) with jewellery, home furnishings, pet accessories, paintings, lamps and decorative items, etc., on sale.
“The real heroes of the war were the men who showed exemplary grit and courage in taking control over our peaks in the face of death. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all who fought this bitter war and brought success to the nation,” says Major General Dhruv C Katoch, SM VSM (Retd), Director, India Foundation.
The mall has created a special microsite http://letsnotforget.co.in/ where people can pay tributes to the departed soldiers, read their last letters and also make monetary contributions that will be handed to AWWA for the welfare of martyrs’ families.
Exhorting people to donate whole-heartedly for the cause, Yogeshwar Sharma, Executive Director and CEO, Select Citywalk, shares, “This year we are celebrating 20 years of our glorious win in Kargil – the war that was fought in the toughest terrains under extreme climatic conditions. Our soldiers marched on even though they knew death was imminent. We can never ever repay the supreme sacrifices made by our soldiers. This is just a small bit from our end.” What:Let’s Not ForgetWhere: Select Citywalk, Saket
On: July 20-21