India, I love you
Dear India,
I love you!
My son is three years old. Everyone says he looks just like me. He calls himself “Papa’s lion”. I love him and would do everything possible to see him grow in life and to be a big man.
I remember the days when I was studying in class three. That must be the year 1984. I had a navy blue coloured T-Shirt, a navy blue necker/ shorts, navy blue socks, navy blue shoes and a navy blue cap. Every afternoon after returning from school, I would put on these navy blue clothes and feel as if I was a part of the Indian Navy. I presumed that this shade of blue is called ‘navy blue’ because officers and sailors of the Indian Navy dress up in uniforms of this colour. I remember even saluting my fictitious fellow officers of the Indian Navy !
Had I really been with the Navy then, I would have already retired as an Admiral by now!!!
India, I love you!
Years later in the year 2009, I re-lived this dream in Vishkapatnam at the Navy Day function.
The Indian Navy celebrates ‘The Navy Day’ every year on 4 Dec to commemorate victory of Indian Navy in India-Pak war of 1971. On the night of December 4-5, 1971, Admiral S.M. Nanda, then chief of Naval Staff ordered missile attacks on Karachi. The fire raged on for seven days, enveloping Karachi in smoke. Before the war Admiral S M Nanda had said "And if war comes again, I assure you that we shall carry it right into the enemy's biggest ports like Karachi. And you have my word that given the opportunity, the Indian Navy will make the world's biggest bonfire of it." And the Indian Navy did it.
I was in Vishakapatnam on 4 Dec 2009 to attend the Navy Day function. The Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy is in Vishakapatnam. I was dressed up in a white coloured T-Shirt with a picture of the Indian Tri-colour Flag on the left top—that is the place where officers of armed forces wear their ranks. The function area was guarded by police officers as well as officers of the Navy. As I walked in, a Navy officer saluted me. I thought he would have saluted the man walking next to me. A few steps ahead and I were saluted again. As I reached the entrance and joined the queue for security frisking, an officer of the Navy came to me and said “Sir, officers this side” and pointed towards the officer’s enclosure. I realized that my dressing had made me re-live my dream. The white T-Shirt with the flag on it made them feel that I was a part of the Navy. Someone later told me that officers when not on duty casually dress up in white T-shirts, the flag on my T-Shirt added to it.
India, I love you!
In school our Hindi teacher assigned us a home work. The home work was to write an essay (‘Nibandh’ in Hindi) on “Meri Abhilasha” (My Ambition). I still remember the opening lines of my essay….”Meri abhilasha hai ki mai Bhartiya Nao Sena ka adhikari banu” (My ambition is to be an officer of the Indian Navy). The rest of the essay was about the National Defense Academy and the Indian Naval Academy.
Time moved on, and it was 1993. I was in class 12. (If 1984 was class 3 then 1993 should be Class 12. I was never a good student but somehow managed to pass one class every year !!)
Class 12 is the time to apply for the NDA. I also bought an application form for myself. But never filled it up………. because guidelines for filling up the form said “Candidates with squint need not apply”. I always knew this but somehow did not want to accept it. Finally this was the time to come to terms with reality and I did reconcile but not before I cursed God and literally banged my shoes on those stone idols.
It was over. Dreams were to remains dreams. Ambitions were to be forgotten.
India, I love you!
Life moves on…….and it moved on.
On August 8, 2006 we were blessed with twins—a boy and a girl.
Children carry their parent’s family name. But, dear India, my children carry your name. We have named them Siddhant Bharat and Shatakshi Bharat. You are their identity.
My children will be four years old this August….. they recite your anthem more than any nursery rhyme…..we have made sure that they celebrate your independence and republic day every year…..we dress them up in tri-coloured clothes very often…. We make and will continue to make every effort to remind them that you and only you are their identity.
Believe me, I am making my best efforts to meet soldiers of your armed forces who have brought glory to you even at the cost of their lives. I promise, I would put up a memorial in the honour of these soldiers who proved with their actions that you come first, always and every time……..and there is just one thing that I would ask of you…….
Shaheed Major Sudhir Walia, 9 Para Commandos, Ashok Chakra, often told his mother, “I won't die in an accident or die of any disease, I will go down in glory”, and he did go down in glory fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir on 29 August 1999.
…………….I want THIS for my son….. I want him to go down fighting for you as an officer of your armed forces………..the day this happens and my son’s body comes back to me draped in the Indian tri-coloured flag….that day would be the biggest day of my life…..
Today if I have to write an essay (‘Nibandh’) on ‘Meri abhilasha’(My ambition) , I would write “Meri abhilasha hai ki mera beta Bhartiya Sa-shastra Sena ka shaheed adhikari bane aur use Param Vir Chakra se sammanit kiya jaye’……..(My ambition is to see my son a martyred officer of the Indian Armed Forces. I would probably go crazy with pride and happiness if he is honoured with the Param Vir Chakra”.
Just the thought of this, makes my eyes wet with pride:
Shaheed Major Siddhant Bharat, Param Vir Chakra.
Dear India, I am not insane to ask you for a martyr son…
Mahatma Gandhi said:
“A true soldier does not argue as he marches, how success is going to be ultimately achieved. But he is confident that if he only plays his humble part well, somehow or the other the battle will be won. It is in that spirit that every one of us should act. It is not given to us to know the future. But it is given to everyone of us to know how to do our own part well”
It does not take an iota of effort to list out what the government should do, how the media should behave, duties of bureaucrats and responsibilities of citizens other than oneself. I really cannot do this. Probably I am not competent to do this, but I have the courage and the will to be the father of a martyr son. This may not set everything right, this may not change the society around me but I don’t need to worry about it. I know if I do my duty towards you well, somehow or the other the battle will be won.
Shaheed Capt. Manoj Kumar Pandey, Param Vir Chakra, wrote “If I die in the battlefield, pin my medals on me and tell my mom that I did my best”.
With regards
With the pride of being a part of you
With a dream of being father of a martyred soldier
With the anticipated satisfaction of having done my duty
(s/d)
-Indian
(that is how I wish to be known and remembered)
Place: IndiaDate: 1 June 2010
I love you!
My son is three years old. Everyone says he looks just like me. He calls himself “Papa’s lion”. I love him and would do everything possible to see him grow in life and to be a big man.
I remember the days when I was studying in class three. That must be the year 1984. I had a navy blue coloured T-Shirt, a navy blue necker/ shorts, navy blue socks, navy blue shoes and a navy blue cap. Every afternoon after returning from school, I would put on these navy blue clothes and feel as if I was a part of the Indian Navy. I presumed that this shade of blue is called ‘navy blue’ because officers and sailors of the Indian Navy dress up in uniforms of this colour. I remember even saluting my fictitious fellow officers of the Indian Navy !
Had I really been with the Navy then, I would have already retired as an Admiral by now!!!
India, I love you!
Years later in the year 2009, I re-lived this dream in Vishkapatnam at the Navy Day function.
The Indian Navy celebrates ‘The Navy Day’ every year on 4 Dec to commemorate victory of Indian Navy in India-Pak war of 1971. On the night of December 4-5, 1971, Admiral S.M. Nanda, then chief of Naval Staff ordered missile attacks on Karachi. The fire raged on for seven days, enveloping Karachi in smoke. Before the war Admiral S M Nanda had said "And if war comes again, I assure you that we shall carry it right into the enemy's biggest ports like Karachi. And you have my word that given the opportunity, the Indian Navy will make the world's biggest bonfire of it." And the Indian Navy did it.
I was in Vishakapatnam on 4 Dec 2009 to attend the Navy Day function. The Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy is in Vishakapatnam. I was dressed up in a white coloured T-Shirt with a picture of the Indian Tri-colour Flag on the left top—that is the place where officers of armed forces wear their ranks. The function area was guarded by police officers as well as officers of the Navy. As I walked in, a Navy officer saluted me. I thought he would have saluted the man walking next to me. A few steps ahead and I were saluted again. As I reached the entrance and joined the queue for security frisking, an officer of the Navy came to me and said “Sir, officers this side” and pointed towards the officer’s enclosure. I realized that my dressing had made me re-live my dream. The white T-Shirt with the flag on it made them feel that I was a part of the Navy. Someone later told me that officers when not on duty casually dress up in white T-shirts, the flag on my T-Shirt added to it.
India, I love you!
In school our Hindi teacher assigned us a home work. The home work was to write an essay (‘Nibandh’ in Hindi) on “Meri Abhilasha” (My Ambition). I still remember the opening lines of my essay….”Meri abhilasha hai ki mai Bhartiya Nao Sena ka adhikari banu” (My ambition is to be an officer of the Indian Navy). The rest of the essay was about the National Defense Academy and the Indian Naval Academy.
Time moved on, and it was 1993. I was in class 12. (If 1984 was class 3 then 1993 should be Class 12. I was never a good student but somehow managed to pass one class every year !!)
Class 12 is the time to apply for the NDA. I also bought an application form for myself. But never filled it up………. because guidelines for filling up the form said “Candidates with squint need not apply”. I always knew this but somehow did not want to accept it. Finally this was the time to come to terms with reality and I did reconcile but not before I cursed God and literally banged my shoes on those stone idols.
It was over. Dreams were to remains dreams. Ambitions were to be forgotten.
India, I love you!
Life moves on…….and it moved on.
On August 8, 2006 we were blessed with twins—a boy and a girl.
Children carry their parent’s family name. But, dear India, my children carry your name. We have named them Siddhant Bharat and Shatakshi Bharat. You are their identity.
My children will be four years old this August….. they recite your anthem more than any nursery rhyme…..we have made sure that they celebrate your independence and republic day every year…..we dress them up in tri-coloured clothes very often…. We make and will continue to make every effort to remind them that you and only you are their identity.
Believe me, I am making my best efforts to meet soldiers of your armed forces who have brought glory to you even at the cost of their lives. I promise, I would put up a memorial in the honour of these soldiers who proved with their actions that you come first, always and every time……..and there is just one thing that I would ask of you…….
Shaheed Major Sudhir Walia, 9 Para Commandos, Ashok Chakra, often told his mother, “I won't die in an accident or die of any disease, I will go down in glory”, and he did go down in glory fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir on 29 August 1999.
…………….I want THIS for my son….. I want him to go down fighting for you as an officer of your armed forces………..the day this happens and my son’s body comes back to me draped in the Indian tri-coloured flag….that day would be the biggest day of my life…..
Today if I have to write an essay (‘Nibandh’) on ‘Meri abhilasha’(My ambition) , I would write “Meri abhilasha hai ki mera beta Bhartiya Sa-shastra Sena ka shaheed adhikari bane aur use Param Vir Chakra se sammanit kiya jaye’……..(My ambition is to see my son a martyred officer of the Indian Armed Forces. I would probably go crazy with pride and happiness if he is honoured with the Param Vir Chakra”.
Just the thought of this, makes my eyes wet with pride:
Shaheed Major Siddhant Bharat, Param Vir Chakra.
Dear India, I am not insane to ask you for a martyr son…
Mahatma Gandhi said:
“A true soldier does not argue as he marches, how success is going to be ultimately achieved. But he is confident that if he only plays his humble part well, somehow or the other the battle will be won. It is in that spirit that every one of us should act. It is not given to us to know the future. But it is given to everyone of us to know how to do our own part well”
It does not take an iota of effort to list out what the government should do, how the media should behave, duties of bureaucrats and responsibilities of citizens other than oneself. I really cannot do this. Probably I am not competent to do this, but I have the courage and the will to be the father of a martyr son. This may not set everything right, this may not change the society around me but I don’t need to worry about it. I know if I do my duty towards you well, somehow or the other the battle will be won.
Shaheed Capt. Manoj Kumar Pandey, Param Vir Chakra, wrote “If I die in the battlefield, pin my medals on me and tell my mom that I did my best”.
With regards
With the pride of being a part of you
With a dream of being father of a martyred soldier
With the anticipated satisfaction of having done my duty
(s/d)
-Indian
(that is how I wish to be known and remembered)
Place: IndiaDate: 1 June 2010
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