Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 23

A veteran’s homage journey’ has entered Punjab through Bathinda, the 155th location, after traversing through most states of the country before moving up North and finally to conclude the pilgrimage at ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ (War Memorial), New Delhi, on April 19. Punjab is the 27th state that General Jha is journeying through on the saddle, as part of the 12,000 kilometers of the homage journey.This homage journey is a personal quest of Major General Somnath Jha (retd), a third generation soldier who gave the best of life to the honorable service of the Indian Army for over 37 years and hung his boots at the age of 58 last year.As a soldier he witnessed loss of many brethren who could not make it to their retirement day and sacrificed themselves for the nation. This personal loss of friends and peers inspired this Army veteran to take upon himself, this mission of bicycling solo, down the entire length and breadth of the country, paying homage to the fallen heroes, over 20,600 of them since the Independence. As he cycles two minutes for every fallen hero, he also carries with him the message of ‘One Nation’ and ‘Love’.A journey that began as a personal quest, today has more than a thousand citizens following it on the social media and countless people who have connected with it at locations which have been visited by him; hundreds of villages, small towns and districts in the past five months. A seven-month-long journey that rekindles the spirit of being one as a nation, and lights up so many hearts everyday, is not just about the number of hours he has spent on and off road, nor the number of homes that have been visited but a story of courage, perseverance and above all love; the only intention.‘Behind every successful man and his story is a woman who has faith in him’. Chitra Jha, wife of Major General Jha, is this pillar of strength and a writer of international acclaim herself with four successful books to her credit in the past few years.