Day 2

 I plan to take myself to task early in the morning. Later  my lazy bones and a mind-full-of-excuses hold me captive with the promise of ‘the right time’ later in the day and I end up not keeping my promise to myself. So here I am ! 

We went to see Ikkis yesterday , a movie on the life of our 1971 war hero , 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal, Param Vir Chakra. The name of the movie is a tribute to the young officer who attained martyrdom at the age if 21(ikkis) . I am glad producers are making an effort to make the public aware of these brave hearts. Imagine giving up your life at 21, an age where most people are still figuring out what to do with their lives . And this young officer went ahead bravely , destroyed innumerable enemy tanks before laying down his life. Even soldiers from the other side lauded his bravery. That was 1971.

Cut to 2026. People don’t even remember his name , except in the defence circles. Talk about this movie made me so upset. People’s reaction ranged from how long is the movie to who is the actor to isn’t it Dharmender’s last movie to any good songs in it ????? No one had ever heard of that ikkis (21)year old who died saving the country . I felt sad at the loss of someone’s loving son, a brother and someone’s sweetheart. Only the family that loses , grieves and mourns till death but the world forgets and moves on . Why do these soldiers die for saving the unknown and thankless general public for whom these casualties are just statistics. They are busy tucking their kids in their warm quilts, buy them latest clothes and send for a foreign education and a ‘lucrative’ job , while these martyrs’ families are left to fend for themselves in their old age, children live fatherless and wives learn to be as tough as their late husbands. Even if the world forgets them, they continue to live in each heart that knew them . The only thing that rankles is that they died for us all but are remembered by a very few.