JOHLAN (RAIKOT): There are countless ways to remember the brave and their sacrifice for the nation. The kin of Naik Nirmal Singh have found a unique way to do that.
Twenty-five years after he laid down his life during the Kargil War, the family of Naik Nirmal Singh continues to hold a function in his memory at the village and for the last two years, they have been distributing saplings to prevent climate change.
Family members say that to pay homage to the martyr, his colleagues from the unit which he worked with do join them.
Seventy-five-year-old Atbar Singh, father of the martyr, said that “there has not been a moment” when they have not missed his beloved son who sacrificed his life for the country while fighting the enemy in Tiger Hills of Kargil sector on July 6, 1999.
He added that every year, they have been holding a function on July 7, 8 and 9.
“We hold prayers (Akhand Paath) on the day every year and set up a langar (community kitchen). On the day his colleagues from the unit 8 Sikh do come to attend the function in his memory. For the last two years we have been distributing saplings on the death anniversary of my son and this year we organised a function on July 9 wherein we distributed 1,000 plants, including fruits and other trees such as guava, pomegranate, grapes, mulberry, neem etc. We have been distributing plants for better air and to prevent climate change,” said Atbar.
“It was great to receive 12-13 retired Army personnel from my son’s unit,” he said.
Forty-nine-year-old Jaswinder Kaur, widow of Naik Nirmal Singh who married his younger brother Chamkaur Singh (who died in Sept last year), said that the people forget the sacrifices of the martyrs, so the “main purpose of organising such function” every year is to keep her late
husband’s memory alive.
She rues the fact that the family has been spending on such functions on their own and not many from the village come forward to help except an flour mill owner.
Kaur said that the unit of her late husband does enquire about their well being and even the civil administration calls them during Independence and Republic Day functions.
Inderpreet Singh, nephew of the martyr, said that even as the govt has named a school after the martyr, they had given a memorandum to the govt for its upgradation to senior secondary school level.
Besides, they have also demanded the construction of an 18-foot-wide road from Raikot to Johlan to Lohgarh to Qasba in Malerkotla.
He added that even as the panchayat had passed a resolution and the same has been forwarded by the area MLA to the PWD department and they have been told that that market committee will make it, they want it to be done at an earliest and named after his late uncle.
The family members said they are “proud of the fact that one of their own had got the Sena Medal”.
Atbar Singh said that his son was brave and even as his brother Jagtar Singh (who was in 11 Sikh) had advised him not to join the Army because of hard life, he refused to listen to him. He added that his son had joined the Army at the age of 17.
He achieved martyrdom when he was around 28.
The family says Naik Nirmal Singh was born in Johlan in 1970. Till tenth standard, he studied at Lohat Baddi Government School. Later, he worked with a doctor for two years before joining the Army in 1987.
Grandson wanted to join Army but …
Atbar Singh said that his grandson Devinder Singh completed his twelfth standard and after doing IELTS, he left for Canada as he “didn’t get a job” here and for around seven years he has been living there.
Jaswinder Kaur, mother of Devinder Singh, said that her son wanted to join the Army and in childhood, he would play with toy guns.
She added that during the last visit in 2023, he did tell her that he lost much living away from home.
Kaur further said that her son was just two years old when her husband achieved martyrdom.
She recalled that her husband and their two years old son and she were living in Pathankot where her husband’s unit was deployed and before going to Kargil, he had dropped them “never to return”.
Mother died of heart attack
Atbar Singh said that after the martyrdom of his son, his wife Gurcharan Kaur “would keep on crying for her son”.
He added that they had got his statue constructed at the village school ground and almost every day, she would go there with a bucket and cloth to clean it.
Atbar said that after “years of grief”, his wife died of a heart attack in 2004.
