From a muted to a high-octane Deepavali

Lt. Puneeth Y. of the Indian Navy, who is off Mumbai coast on an official assignment, could not make it home this Deepavali. Naturally, he was sorely missed by his parents, Yogesh Kumar and Bhagyalakshmi in Shivamogga.

However, their mood lifted when members of the ‘Blood for Sure’, a voluntary service organisation working to promote blood donation, landed at their doorstep to celebrate the festival with them.

Team leader Darshan M.K. and other members decorated the house with flowers and lamps. They cooked, performed the Lakshmi puja, and sang folk and devotional songs.

Friends of the family were also invited. At the end of the programme, the parents talked to their son via videoconferencing. Lt. Puneeth is the only son of Mr. Kumar, a retired employee of the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company, and Ms. Bhagyalakshmi. Mr. Kumar told

The Hindu: “It’s a matter of pride that my son is serving the nation, but we miss him. In his absence, we celebrate festivals in a mechanical manner.”

“It is a known fact that defence personnel cannot visit their homes during festivals due to their commitments. So, it becomes the responsibility of the society to provide emotional security for their families on such occasions. Earlier too, ‘Blood for Sure’ volunteers have celebrated festivals at the homes of defence personnel,” said Mr. Darshan, adding that the team plans to organise similar programmes in Kodagu and Belagavi districts, where the enrolment for defence services is high.