Me & Philanthropy

I have always stood up for helping those who need our help and being a Salman Khan fan I have always known that it is necessary to act 'Being Human' to be a true human being. For me it is not possible to donate ample amount of fund to orphanages and old-age homes now because I am still a dependent but that doesn't mean I am presenting an excuse. I have always stood for blood donation and social causes. Last May it was the 15th time that I donated blood and perhaps next month I will be donating again. It was long back when I donated blood for the first time that I realized the kick in a person smiling at me after I have done something good for them. It is a bizarre experience to live the moment after helping someone. It boosts up the morale within and also develops a self respect.

The last when I did something good for other's..

Three days back after I returned to my second home, 'Charaideo Men's Hostel' I found a middle aged lady sitting on the stairs of our hostel. I parked my cycle at the cycle stand. I walked towards her. She showed me a photograph of a man who was in bed and said that the man in the photograph was her husband. He was detected with cancer. She couldn't afford for his treatment. I put my hand inside my pocket and discovered  two ten rupee note inside. I immediately handed over a ten rupee note. The lady although was sad, passed on a smile reflecting her blessings. It really felt good.

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Mahendra Nath Phukon - The Tardily Cremated Soldier

A senior Police Official and Army personnel paying their tribute to Mahendra Nath Phukon

Mahendra Nath Phukon's brother's on the day of his cremation

On 7th February 1968. twenty Two year old Mahendra Nath Phukon was on the plane with 102 other Army and Air Force personnel and was travelling from Chandigarh to Leh. After the commencement of the AN - 12 aircraft the flight lost control and finally crashed near the 6264 meter Chandrabhaga Peak in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul valley. None of the boarders were alive.

The wreckage stayed undiscovered till 35 years and on July 2003 a soldier named Pioneer Beli Ram was the first corpse to be excavated from the deep glacier area.

On 2nd August 2007 an expedition led my Major Nishant Kumar of Dogra Scouts recovered three bodies from the body. One of those three was of Mahendra Nath Phukon, who was still in uniform. His identity card and other documents led to his identification. 

His body ensconced in a coffin and draped with the Indian flag reached on 20th August 2007 to Deodhai, his native village in Sivasagar district, which is about 360 kilometers east of Assam's main city Guwahati. The last time Mahendra Nath Phukon was home to attend his elder brother, Tuben Nath Phukon's wedding in the year 1967. For his family it was a dream. His body was cremated on 21st August 2007. Many Government officials also were present to pay their tribute to Mahendra Nath Phukon. Mahendra Nath Phukon's brother's, Tuben Nath Phukon and Durganath Phukon are both retired personnel of the Indian Army.

A Promise, by me and all

A call for my Motherland, my first love that I have known,

No fille lover’s tenderness I shall ever yearn,

No lesson other than patriotism I had ever learn,

No moral except sacrifice I shall ever teach,

Nationalism as my religion, I shall always preach.

Mother India, I shall also live the manner they did,

And shall take scars on my face upholding your dignity.

Appraising the sacrifice that all the martyr’s gave,

A promise we must take on their grave,

United in hands in hand, as we will walk across all land,

Fearless and brave we shall stand, victory we’ll understand.

Walking aloft we will promise to take along to all terrain,

The colours saffron, white and green.. whilst all pain.

Mother India, we shall also live the manner they did,

And shall take scars on our face upholding your dignity.

We shall live, merely not to follow the practice of human being,

But we shall live.. live to enjoy pain, anguish and suffering..

Jaswant Singh Rawat - The Forgotten Hero

First of all a tribute to all the martyrs who have happily laid their lives in the service of our motherland and a Salute to all the Indian Army Personnel.

I am confused with how should I address him. Should I mention Late Jaswant Singh Rawat or Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, Fourth Garhwal Regiment? Based on his extraordinary act of bravery, I would choose to believe that he is still among us and is serving at the India-China Frontier and shall address him as Jaswant Singh Rawat, Fourth Garhwal Rifles.

As we head towards Tawang, the Switzerland of North-East, about 500 kilometers from Guwahati, the Gateway of North-East we shall come across Jaswantgarh, a war memorial at Nuranang in Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh, which stands in memory of 4039009 Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, Mahavir Chakra awardee (posthumous) of the 4th Battalion of Garhwal Rifles. A journey towards the picturesque Tawang through pristine hills of Arunachal Pradesh can't be complete without a stopover at Jaswantgarh Memorial that stands testimony to an Indian soldier's unparallel bravery. It was the final phase of the Sino-Indian War in November 1962. Even as his company was asked to fall back, Jaswant Singh remained at his post at an altitude of 10,000 feet and held back Chinese soldiers for three days assisted by two local Monpa girls named Sela and Nura. They set up weapons at separated spots and maintained a volume of fire that made the Chinese think they were opposed by a body of troops. Finally the Chinese captured the man who was supplying rations to Jaswant and he revealed to them that they were opposed by only one man.They attacked in force, Sela died in a grenade burst, Nura was captured and Jaswant supposedly shot himself with his last cartridge when he realized that he was about to be captured. Jaswant has killed around 300 Chinese soldiers after confronting them with continuous fire for three days. It is alleged that the Chinese cut off Jaswant Singh's head and took it back to China. However, after the ceasefire, the Chinese commander, impressed by the soldier's bravery, returned the head along with a brass bust of Jaswant Singh. The bust, created in China to honor the brave Indian soldier, is now installed at the site of the battle. The post that he had to repulse the Chinese  troops has been named Jaswantgarh in recognition of his valor and sacrifice.

The Garhwal Rifles are today deployed on India's western borders, but the unit makes it a point to keep at least half a dozen personnel at Jaswantgarh to take care of Rawat as if he were alive. He is served bed tea at 04:30 AM, breakfast at 09:00 AM and dinner at 07:00 PM. Five army soldiers are at his service round the clock. There are no chores to be done. Life couldn't have been more comfortable for Baba Jaswant Singh Rawat, but for the fact that he is no more. These soldiers not only serve 'Baba' but also render their yeoman services for travelers along the hazardous portion of mountain terrain. Besides coming to rescue of travelers in trouble, they run a snack store where they serve tea, coffee, samosas, and pakoras to serve the tired tourists charging a nominal price that goes to upkeep the war memorial. They make his bed for him, polish his shoes and deliver the mail sent by his admirers. They even clear the mails the next morning after 'he has gone through them'. They change his bed sheets every Tuesday. Each morning, his bed is found crumpled, and his freshly ironed clothes lie scattered on the floor. The army men posted over there believe that Jaswant Singh is still here all the time, although no one can see him. According to locals and soldiers posted near Jaswantgarh, Rawat's spirit roams the area, and he comes in their dreams and solves their problems.

Jaswant Singh Rawat is the only soldier in the long history of the Indian army, who is known to have risen through the ranks after his death, and this rifleman has been promoted to Major General, and is still believed to command troops guarding the dizzy heights of India's eastern frontiers with China. He also gets his leave, salary – everything that a living soldier gets. A Leave Certificate always hangs on the notice board issued by his commanding officer for ten days casual leave to attend a marriage ceremony of one Yoginder Yadav from November 5, 2008 to November 14, 2008. Jaswant Singh's family members apply for leave on his behalf whenever needed, and if the leave is granted, the army men carry his portrait is to his native village with full military honors and when his leave expires, again his portrait is brought back to its original place.

Myths, folklore and superstitious beliefs are also strong among the soldiers. Army personnel passing by this route, be it a General or an ordinary soldier, make it a point to pay their respects at the shrine of Jaswant Singh, or else they invoke his curse. A Major General once refused to pray at his shrine while crossing the area, saying this was just a superstition, but he met with a mysterious road accident a few kilometers away from here and died.

What to do when the Law itself is against Justice?

The law states rape as a crime and also has a provision for such rapists to escape under the excuse of being a minor. This is the law but this is sheer injustice. Now the question is, what to do when the law itself is against justice?

If we follow the law and commute the punishment to a year or two in the reformatory school expecting a transition from a demon to 'good behavior', we are barring the victim and her parents from justice. We need reformations. On one hand an innocent girl is paralyzed both physically and mentally and on the other hand the culprit escapes with a petty punishment just because he is able to produce a certificate that proves that he is less than 18. This has already happened in the Nirbhaya Case, which happened in December 2012. The case received nation-wide condemnation and forced Indian Government to amend rape laws. While the four adult rapists received death penalty, the young convict -who was six month short of coming of age was sentenced to only three years in a correctional facility.

Today a high percentage of sexual crimes in India are committed by teenagers, who know that they can get away with it. If in pre-meditated murders and rape, the offenders are bought at the higher courts than this would discourage juvenile criminals.

Rape-Cases should not be treated like other cases and kept pending at Lower Court and then Higher court. Rape and cases associated with crime against women should be treated under fast trials and it should be ensured that neither the criminal escapes nor an innocent gets jailed. 

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Juvenile Rapists - Commute or Convict??

Old enough to rape but young to be punished..

Juvenile is person who has not yet attained sexual maturity. The section 2 (K) of the Indian Law of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of children) Act, 200 defines juvenile or child as a person who has not completed eighteenth year of age. I believe that the fault lies in the definition of the Indian Law. Today the court recognizes the freedom of guilty minors more than the lives of innocent rape victims. The amendment in the law is an early need.

I don't understand why are those ill-minded people been sent to the Juvenile development centers? As said that a rotten potato in a basket destroys all the other good, similarly an ill-minded so-assumed minor rape accused would also destroy the other minors in such centers who have been sent there on petty charges. There is no scope for the rectification. 

These so-assumed minors should be treated at par with other criminals and should be punished to death. Keeping them alive under the term of 'life imprisonment' would only waste the good amount of money that we pay as tax. 

Rape is the most brutal and bestial act. If a boy is found out guilt than because of his less age he shouldn't be let off. If he is old enough to gather the guts to rape, he is also old enough to be hanged. Rape cases should be treated under fast trials and if convicted they must be hanged immediately. Chop off the rapists from the society, rape will soon be eliminated. Where its the case with rape the saying changes to, 'Kill the sinner and the sin will be eliminated'.

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