India lost a hero yesterday! How many of us know about it?
How many of us heard of a policeman from Jammu called Randhir Singh who was killed in a gun battle with the militants on the 5th of October 2006
When I was a kid, I was taught about the great epics. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, where I was told that the great warriors who slay the evil demons and the devils are worshipped as heroes and their praise sung for generations on end. I was taught about the great kings of India, the valiant Porus who kept away the all conquering Alexander from entering India, about Prithviraj chauhan who fought the invaders from Afghanistan, about our great freedom fighters who fought the British and who laid down their lives driving out the enemy. We remember the Bhagat sings and the Chandrasekhar azads and cherish them as heroes.
When all through our history, the greatest heroes have been these brave warriors who fought for justice and peace and the good, why is that post independence we have a different set of heroes. Of cricketers, politicians, movie stars, industry chieftains and scientists. What happened to all the brave people? We have fought 4 major wars since independence, there has been militancy in Kashmir, Punjab, the North east and our cities are no longer safe and immune to terrorism. But still the ordinary man in you and me are able to have a peaceful sleep and go about our daily chores with terrorism and safety as the last thing on our mind. Why?? It is because of what I consider the pride of our nation - our armed forces and the jawans and policemen fighting on the borders and keeping the enemy at bay. One such brave man we lost yesterday and it hardly made news!!
Post independence perhaps the most audacious and symbolically most significant act of terrorism in India was the attack on the Parliament house on Dec 13 2001. The master mind behind this attack was a militant called Ghazi baba. A devil or monster or villain or evil incarnate terrorist, call him what you may, don’t you agree that the person who vanquished him is nothing short of a hero? And that person was Randhir Singh. Randhir killed Ghazi baba in an anti terrorist operation a few years back. How many of us knew of this hero who killed the mastermind behind the most audacious attack on India.?
This brave soldier was killed in another terrorist encounter in Jammu yesterday and his death was nothing short of heroic. After having been injured in yet another operation some months back, he was still not fully fit and yet to recuperate completely. But still he joined the action and went back to his duty even though his leave period was not yet over. I doubt if you and me are made of such sterner stuff.
This brave man died yesterday, killed by militants, while protecting his fellow countrymen and his nation. He left behind a one year old son and a grieving but proud family. Will he be remembered as a hero, as a modern day incarnate of the great heroes of India’s history? I don’t think so. We have chosen to follow a different set of heroes.
Randhir Singh would have been consigned to flames today, and alas, his heroism and bravery also would be.
How many of us heard of a policeman from Jammu called Randhir Singh who was killed in a gun battle with the militants on the 5th of October 2006
When I was a kid, I was taught about the great epics. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, where I was told that the great warriors who slay the evil demons and the devils are worshipped as heroes and their praise sung for generations on end. I was taught about the great kings of India, the valiant Porus who kept away the all conquering Alexander from entering India, about Prithviraj chauhan who fought the invaders from Afghanistan, about our great freedom fighters who fought the British and who laid down their lives driving out the enemy. We remember the Bhagat sings and the Chandrasekhar azads and cherish them as heroes.
When all through our history, the greatest heroes have been these brave warriors who fought for justice and peace and the good, why is that post independence we have a different set of heroes. Of cricketers, politicians, movie stars, industry chieftains and scientists. What happened to all the brave people? We have fought 4 major wars since independence, there has been militancy in Kashmir, Punjab, the North east and our cities are no longer safe and immune to terrorism. But still the ordinary man in you and me are able to have a peaceful sleep and go about our daily chores with terrorism and safety as the last thing on our mind. Why?? It is because of what I consider the pride of our nation - our armed forces and the jawans and policemen fighting on the borders and keeping the enemy at bay. One such brave man we lost yesterday and it hardly made news!!
Post independence perhaps the most audacious and symbolically most significant act of terrorism in India was the attack on the Parliament house on Dec 13 2001. The master mind behind this attack was a militant called Ghazi baba. A devil or monster or villain or evil incarnate terrorist, call him what you may, don’t you agree that the person who vanquished him is nothing short of a hero? And that person was Randhir Singh. Randhir killed Ghazi baba in an anti terrorist operation a few years back. How many of us knew of this hero who killed the mastermind behind the most audacious attack on India.?
This brave soldier was killed in another terrorist encounter in Jammu yesterday and his death was nothing short of heroic. After having been injured in yet another operation some months back, he was still not fully fit and yet to recuperate completely. But still he joined the action and went back to his duty even though his leave period was not yet over. I doubt if you and me are made of such sterner stuff.
This brave man died yesterday, killed by militants, while protecting his fellow countrymen and his nation. He left behind a one year old son and a grieving but proud family. Will he be remembered as a hero, as a modern day incarnate of the great heroes of India’s history? I don’t think so. We have chosen to follow a different set of heroes.
Randhir Singh would have been consigned to flames today, and alas, his heroism and bravery also would be.
2 comments:
True man...J&K,NE terrorism/encounters etc have become a customary occurance in newspapers...if it were not for those guys, the country would be over-run by the rebels with arms but without cause.
As a nation we ve lost our sensitivities to such an extent that we dont care for the real heroes anymore.
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