Parents remember their children who sacrificed their lives for the nation at an event dedicated

The parents of Martyr Daljit Singh during an event

Family members of war heroes in Jalandhar on Wednesday. Sarabjit Singh

Students enact a play on Kargil martyrs in Jalandhar on Wednesday.

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 26

Their eyes were fixed on the projector showcasing a documentary made on the war heroes, who sacrificed their lives for the country. They did not want to blink their eyes as they did not want to miss even a single scene. The emotions could not be controlled and the pain of losing their young children got out through their eyes. They were the parents of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation.Families of the martyrs were present at a function, which was dedicated to war heroes. A special wall containing pictures of martyrs attracted the attention of the families.Jalandhar Tribune Talked to the families and found that they have been fighting their own battle for the past 18 years.Father of martyr waiting to dieMohan Lal, a lean looking elderly man, was sitting alone on a chair. He was looking sad. While talking to Jalandhar Tribune, he said, “I attend the function every year to remember my son who got martyred in 1999 in Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir.”“I feel this is the only day when my son gets importance otherwise who talks about me or my son’s sacrifice. Nobody knows what I have seen or faced through these 18 years,” the father said in a quivering voice.His son Mohinder Lal was posted as Deputy Commandant with the Border Security Force (BSF) and got martyred at the age of 30. “Not even a day passes when I don’t miss my son,” he said while getting emotional.“I don’t know why he joined the force. He was doing well here as a lecturer at a college but he had a wish to serve the nation. He told me after joining the force,” he said and wiped off his tears.“And see now, a father of a martyr himself wants to die. I have no source of income and my elder daughter who is married helps me in everything. Even my wife is not well and I am not able to provide her proper treatment due to lack of money,” Mohal added.“I have also sought help from the governments, pr koi kuch nahee krta, kaun parvaah krta hai ki kisne kis k lie jaan di. Ab main isi intzar mein hu ki mar jaau (Nobody does anything, who cares if someone sacrificed his life for the nation. Now, I am waiting for the day when I will die).”After sharing his grudge, Lal moved forward and again sat on the chair.He fights to get boards bearing his son’s name reinstalledKirpal Singh, 70, was listening to the announcers, who were praising the sacrifices of the martyrs. Kirpal, who is a granthi, said these words always make him proud.His son Daljit Singh got martyred in Dras, a town in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir, in 1999. His wife Kanwaljit Kaur, who had accompanied him, could not utter a word. Her eyes were filled with tears while remembering her son, who joined the Army.  She, along with her family, never wanted to see her son joining the Army. They are now fighting a battle to get boards bearing his son’s photos reinstalled at Rama Mandi Chowk and Johal Chowk.  He said the boards containing information of his son were installed at these chowks but these were removed due to some project. Thereafter, nobody bothered to reinstall the boards, he added.