Fond memories of a sepoy-son

By R.K. Radhakrishnan

CHENNAI, JULY 26. Kanamma's memories of her son have grown foggy over the years; after all, Subramani hardly outgrew his teens when he left home. That was in the late 1960s.

Sitting on the lawns of the Area headquarters here this morning and on seeing the olive-green uniforms around, again, her memories seemed to float back. Kanamma, like 11 other next of kin of martyrs, was requested to come to Chennai today, second anniversary of the Kargil conflict.

Back to her memories: The son landed at the Madras Regimental Centre, Wellington, Nilgiris, after qualifying in a jawan's recruitment drive in Chennai. Subramani did well enough at the centre and became Sepoy, Number 2555492, in just over six months. Like a few other young boys from north Tamil Nadu, he was into 8 Madras.

Sepoy Subramani and his battalion were summoned for duty at the border soon enough; the 1971 Indo-Pak war had started. ``More than a month after the war began, we were

told that our son had become a martyr,''recalls Kanamma. ``But we did not believe it then,'' she added.

There was no tradition of body bags being brought back then. It was only after the war when it received an urn containing the ashes, did the family reconcile itself to the inevitable. ``He was the only son. We took a long while to come to terms with this,'' she recalls. Now, she lives with her daughter at Sanarapandy village near Melvisharam in Vellore district.

``After his death somebody from the Army came home once. None after that,'' she says; but there is no trace of complaint in her voice. ``Then suddenly they came last year and gave us some money and told us that our son did the country proud,'' she adds.

Now again, this year, here in Chennai. ``This is the second time I have come here. The last time was when my son insisted that we all spend a day before he left,'' she remembers. At 80, even walking requires tremendous effort on her part. For most of the day, she prefers the quiet confines of her daughters' house. ``But occasions like this... one should make an exception I guess,'' she adds.

Two strong arms literally carried her to the stage and back, to receive a cash assistance from Mrs. Jamwal, wife of Maj. Gen. Jamwal, General Officer Commanding, ATNKK & G Area.

For many of the other 11 gathered there, it was not money that mattered; one said it was the mere fact that the families continued to be remembered long after the sacrifice of their near and dear ones that was very gratifying. Among those at the simple ceremony on the lawns of the Area headquarters was Mrs. Subhadra Raghavan, wife of Lt.Col.N.V.Raghavan, 15 Kumon, who laid down his life in OP Vijay, on June 24, 1999.

Gen. Jamwal, who led officers and men of the three services and Coast Guard in paying floral tributes at the War Memorial, said the day was of special significance to every Indian. The country should remember its martyrs.

Later in the evening, service personnel and civilians lighted candles in their homes to pay homage to the martyrs.

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Section  : Southern States
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