"Baba had promised to return on Jai's first birthday and we will celebrate Diwali and Jai's birthday. He never lies and he will keep his promise. Mother, don't cry, he will come home safe," said four year old Tejas, son of 32-year-old martyr Lance Naik Chandrakant Galande
"Baba had promised to return on Jai's first birthday and we will celebrate Diwali and Jai's birthday. He never lies and he will keep his promise. Mother, don't cry, he will come home safe," said four year old Tejas, son of 32-year-old martyr Lance Naik Chandrakant Galande who was amongst the eighteen soldiers who were killed in a major terror attack at an army base in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri near the Line of Control on Sunday.
Lance Naik Chandrakant Galande's son with grandmother
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32-year-old Chandrakant Galande, attached to 6 Bihar Regiment hails from Jashi village in Maan Taluka of Satara district and in 2004 he had joined the Indian Army. His elder brother Keshav and Manjuba are both serving in Indian Army.
Keshav is posted at Jammu, due to which he cannot attend his brother funeral while his elder brother Munjaba who was posted in Punjab managed to attend the ritual.
Villagers gather outside the house to pay last respects to the martyr
The body of Galande, 27, reached Satara late on Monday night and was kept at the government hospital till morning as thousands of locals and people from surrounding villages paid their respects.
On Tuesday the cortege covered in the tricolor was taken out in a solemn procession through Jashi village amid cries of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Shahid Chandrakant Galande Amar Rahe'.
Chandrakant Galande's parents.
Top civil and military officials, three ministers - Mahadev Jankar, Girish Bapat and Vijay Shivtare - as well as local leaders and commoners laid wreaths and paid homage to the gallant soldier. The village was in mourning since the news of his death broke on Sunday.
Galande is survived by his wife Nisha, sons - Shreyas, five, and Jai, three - besides his aged farmer parents and two older brothers, who are also in the armed forces.
His parents Shankar and Sulabai have been crying since they heard the news of their son's while his wife is rushed to hospital due to shock and undergoing a treatment at hospital. In the meantime villagers are clearing the roads leading to his house so that the vehicle does not get disturbed.
Chandrakant's father Shankar said, "We raised our kids after a lot of pain. Chandrakant was most active amongst my two other elder sons. He always wanted to joing the Indian Army. He took his primary education in Palshi village as in our village there was no schoold and he used to daily walk miles to get there."
On Saturday, Galande who had joined the army in 2012, had called Nisha to inform that he would be home for a 10-day holiday to help with the farm work. But the very next day, the family heard the news of the tragedy.
"It was my desire that all three sons join the armed forces. They respected my wish. Today, the youngest has been martyred. I am proud that his life is sacrificed for the cause of the nation," a teary-eyed Shankar Galande told mediapersons on Monday.
He added, "Since May till July 16, Chandrakant was with us he had got leave from his Assam posting. In these two months he was helping me in farming. Four days back his mother was feeling uneasy and insisted Munjababa to call and inquire about Chandrakant but we were informed with the message of his death."
Chandrakant's elder brother Munjababa who is along with his mortal said, "As a soldier we are proud that my brother has sacrifice his life for the country but as brother I feel sad for his death. During Diwali it was first time we all were together and he wanted to start a school and had plan to contribute his partial income for poverty children in our village. He has given his life for our nation and he is lucky to get such death."
Tashildar Surekha Mane rushed to the spot and inspected the area where the final rituals on Chandrakant will be performed on Tuesday she said, "We along with local villagers are clearning the area and lifting the stones so that his soul rest in peace and we respect his work which cannot be expressed."
-With inputs from IANS
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