This Independence Day, do something different!

Here’s a simple – yet – powerful idea for this Independence Day..

Pick up a school – either your child’s school or a school in your locality. Actually almost any school will do. Contact the School; request the Principal to allow you to narrate a story to the students on the occasion of Independence Day.  Which story? The stories of our bravest of the braves, the “Param Virs”!

I bet most of you have only the foggiest idea of “Param Vir Chakra”. Many of you would remember the heroes of Kargil, among whom were some of these Param Virs. Not many of you would be able to name five or more awardees though. And very few would know there are actually 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees. You are not alone. I was one of you. Until October 2009. Something happened then which soon became a labour of love. That eventually led to a book, “Saluting our Heroes – The Param Virs of Bharat“.

But this is not about the book. It is about the stories. Stories  that are truly inspiring. Stories that will make your heart swell with pride. Stories that will bring tears to your eyes. Stories that are worth telling and re-telling. Unfortunately, these stories which should have a pride of place in our schools & our libraries appear to have been forgotten. Our young no longer remember them. Our schools rarely talk about them.

But all is not lost. You can start reading about these stories. Start with yourself. Share the stories with your family – especially the young ones. Gift the book, if you can. But for now, make sure you share at least one of these narratives on 15th August with school-children at a nearby school.

And while you share the stories of these legends, remind the youngsters how fortunate & blessed we are to have people like these defend our borders, our freedoms. If you are feeling more ambitious, do this at two schools. Even better, try and organise 5 volunteers and go to 10 schools in your city.

We need to hear these tales more than ever today – when our morale is at risk of being severely damaged by the cowardly handling of various incidents by the powers that be. These narratives will inspire you and make you feel proud to be an Indian.  Let us make sure that these stories are never forgotten. Let us ensure that the bravest of the braves are remembered & celebrated and the saga of their valour, told and re-told.

Remember that our highest obligation as a citizen is to defend our borders. These stories remind us of this highest duty. Without borders that are secure, no nation can remain free.

Pick a story of your choice from the blog. Alternatively, download a (paid) pdf version of the book at this link. If you like what you read, get a hard copy of the book for donating to a school library or gifting to friends  (although it may not be delivered before 15th August; here are some alternative options, including flipkart).  As always, all proceeds from your purchases go directly to fund my political activities.

Make this Independence Day “special”. Do something different. Share a legend. Salute our heroes! Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!

P.S. If you do go ahead with this idea, please share photographs and/or video recordings of the event with me on my personal email address. A slightly edited version of this post (minus the links to my book) appeared on my blog over at Times of India.

P.P.S. I hope to do my bit in London – attending a flag-hoisting ceremony and sharing one of these stories. Stay tuned. The final word on this, courtesy Sanjeev Sabhlok:

I strongly commend this book to you.

Please buy as many copies as you can afford and distribute the book widely around.Let’s ensure that this book be found in every household in India.

In the midst of the travails that India has gone through, let us remember the warriors who have, along with their other brave colleagues from the defence forces of India, ensured the integrity of India over the past six decades.

India is honored to be defended by its soldiers.