Just 48 hours after the CRPF personnel were martyred in Pulwama, while we were searching for the light amidst grief and loss, Army Major Chitresh Bisht was martyred in an IED explosion in Rajouri even before those pyres could be doused. The Major was about to get married on the 7th of March which just shows how selflessly our soldiers serve the nation and this is exactly why we should talk about our Army and the other Forces more.
There is nothing to argue about how we feel and admire the importance of these heroes only when something as big as a terror or a military attack hits the headlines. When the number of martyrs is low or say one, not many of us take it solemnly. We tend to believe that it was the soldier’s job to risk his life at the border and it is absolutely fine. It is only when the number is significant we start posting statuses and pictures, which lasts for a week or two and we eventually forget about them again.
There are many instances which go unnoticed by us, like when the Indian Army stepped in to help a pregnant woman in a snowbound place or when a Major from the Aviation Corps saved the lives of two individuals who met an accident. The two things I would like to mention here are; both of these incidents happened in February and both of these took place in Kashmir as well, just like the recent attack in Pulwama.
I am pretty sure that the number of people who would have known about Major Chitresh Bisht would have been considerably lower had the Pulwama attack not happened. Because this is the truth, we do not pay them respect until the number is big enough.
Not everyone must be knowing that these people play a major role during the rescue operations during natural calamities and disasters as well. “God came wearing the uniforms” was how the Kerala flood victims lauded the Army and the Air Force rescuers. Of course, the victims would now worship these people, because they realize how important they are. It is we who forget that we get the privilege to live in a peaceful environment and concentrate on our personal lives only because these heroes are guarding our country round the clock.
It is high time we display more compassion and love for these people and it is my sincere appeal to my countrymen to appreciate the Indian Armed Forces even when there are no terror attacks, no military attacks and admire them as much as they deserve.
We should not require another attack to talk about them. They befriend death to make sure it stays away from us and we are not supposed to take this for granted.
Also, a civilian can surely help them from outside the Defense administration. One way is to contribute to the Prime Minister’s National Defense Fund or Bharat Ke Veer and help directly. Contributing an amount as small as 10 or 50 every month may go on to provide education to a Martyr’s child. And even if you do not want to contribute to this fund, just have as much faith as you can in our Forces, because they need it. They need our voice and trust.
