BANGALORE: Fifty-nine soldiers, from the ranks of sepoys to honorary captains, who had laid down their lives for the country, were remembered on Thursday morning at a ceremony held at the Madras Engineering Group (MEG) and Centre here to honour the next of kin (NOK) and Veer Naris of these brave jawans.Some of the families tried their best to hold back their tears, while some wept uncontrollably remembering their loved ones and a few argued on the pension money or jobs promised to the kin of the deceased.A T Ponappa, head constable attached to the KSRP, and father of Late Sepoy AP Prashant(22), who lost his life on December 31, 2003 during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir said, “I am happy that my son laid down his life for the country and such events to remember him is truly appreciated.But my disappointment lies in the fact that after my older son’s passing away, my younger son was promised and assured a job by S M Krishna, either in the army or KSRP, but till date nothing has happened about his job.” Kamalamma (85), mother of late Jayasheelan from KGF, broke down remembering her son during the felicitation, as she accepted a cheque and a gift.She lost her only son in 1971 in Dhaka during the Indo-Pak war.Looked after by her niece M Parimala, Kamalamma takes care of her daily needs by the pension given to her by the army.The families of the soldiers came from Bangalore and other districts like Mandya, Mysore, Tumkar, Kolar and Chamarajnagar also from other states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.The NOK’s were presented with a cheque and utility items like pressure cooker, sewing machines, wrist watches and irons.Speaking on the occasion, Brigadier Gurdip Singh, Commandment of MEG and Centre, said that the welfare of the serving and the ‘served’ has always been a priority for the armed forces.As an organisation, the armed forces will undertake beneficial schemes in education, enrolments, vocation training and health related schemes.
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