It’s been a great Diwali having spent it with my parents after almost 7 years! It was also supposed to be a family holiday with my younger brother also coming home. He is a Captain in the Indian Army currently posted somewhere in J&K.
Diwali was on 26th and he had come to Delhi on 15th for a one month long annual leave. On 16th October (his birthday for which my parents had made some plans), he got a call from his unit in the morning asking him to rejoin since his holiday had been cancelled. By evening, he had left. Me and my wife reached Delhi on 22nd as scheduled only to find that he had gone to some secluded position high up in the Himalayas where even mobile connectivity is absent. Its two days after Diwali and he continues to be there.
On the 26th, he made a call to us for a minute from a wireless system and I asked what he was doing up there…at temperatures even below minus 20 degree Celsius…and his reply was “Protecting you”. While politicians debate on the relevance of ASFPA, has anyone really thought about the army men who are getting affected by this act? Just like my brother who makes me proud (I actually feel blood rushing through me at double speed when I think of him) there are thousands of soldiers who would give anything to spend time with families at least on festivals. It’s the threats that lurk on our borders and even inside our country which prevents this.
This post dedicated to my brother who is giving everything just to make sure that we enjoy our festivals.
Jai Hind!
2 comments:
Let's salute the brave souls who guard our national borders by standing tall in these inaccessible areas. You must be proud of your brother. Hats off to Captain Vaibhav Gupta!!!
From: sriramnivas.wordpress.com
We all are sir. He is the BEST!
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