War heroes feted

War heroes and their next of kin were honoured at a ceremony held at the Chandigarh Press Club today.

Prominent among the attendees was Sub-Maj Sanjay Kumar, who was decorated with the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), the highest award for gallantry, during the 1999 Kargil conflict. He is posted as an instructor with the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. The parents of Capt Vikram Batra, who was posthumously decorated with the PVC in the Kargil conflict, were also honoured.

Others present were Savita Rana, wife of Lt Col SS Rana, who was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award for his actions in anti-terrorist operations in Kashmir, Lily Bawa, who received a Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) during Indian Peacekeeping Force operations in Sri Lanka, and Surinder Chandpuri, wife of Brig KS Chandpuri, who was decorated with the MVC in the Battle of Longewala in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

In his keynote address, Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh, former Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry, delved upon the ethos of the Indian Army and the grit and motivation of the Indian soldier. A panel of Lt Gen RS Sujlana, Maj Gen HJ Singh and Maj Gen Neraj Bali discussed what the corporate world can learn from the armed forces, while another session by Lt Gen KJ Singh, Brig SC Rangi and Col GS Bajwa focused on the history, glory and heritage of the armed forces.

Chandigarh