“While Abhinandan Varthaman was away from his homeland, we do not know what he must have gone through. There are certain things a soldier never expresses and yet he remains calm and quiet during the whole process. However, he was received with much fanfare at the border which was very unacceptable. The citizens must have received him with utmost politeness and dignity,” expressed Anuradha Prabhudesai during the interactive session, ‘For your tomorrow a soldier gives his today’ organised by Manthan organisation at Chitnavis Centre on Sunday.
As the rain poured Prabhudesai continued with some heart-wrenching stories of stories living far away from their family.
“There is fire in the eyes of a soldier. He has love for his country and dedication to protect his nation till his last breath but I really wonder whether we, as civilians, even acknowledge the sacrifices of soldiers who fight at the border so that we can be safe,” said founder president of Lakshya Foundation, ex-banker and motivational speaker, Anuradha Prabhudesai.
Founded on October 4 in 2009, Lakshya Foundation has been working to bridge the gap between the armed forces and civilians. Being into the field and interacting with officers of Army, Air Force and Navy backgrounds, Prabhudesai has closely observed the life of employees of Indian Armed Forces. Prabhudesai asked, “Do we even know the names of soldiers who martyred during Kargil war?” She further said, “Captain Saurabh Kalia was captured by Pakistani forces, he was not only tortured in an inhuman way but killed mercilessly”.
Prabhudesai said, “There are numerous other unsung heroes whose sacrifices don’t come to fore and go unnoticed. But, still, if we really wish to do something for soldiers, just be an Indian who is worth fighting for.”
She also talked about Navy and her visit to a submarine.
CA Satish Sarda was the guest during the programme.
Col CK Rajesh and former Air Vice Marshal Suryakant Chafekar were also present.
The programme was conducted by Ankita Deshkar while Rohan Parekh proposed the vote of thanks.
