14 February 2019 is marked as a BLACK DAY in Indian history. As the whole nation mourns the loss of its 44 brave souls in the terror attack in Pulwama.
Though the whole nation is feeling the emotions of pain, grief and anger; the ones undergoing the unimaginable pain are the families of these soldiers.
They are facing the moment that no father, mother, wife, or daughter is ever brave enough to face.
The moment when it feels your heart has stopped beating. The moment when you feel your world has shattered – It is the moment when a soldier comes wrapped in the TRICOLOUR.
And such was the moment in Govindpura village, Jaipur, to which martyred CRPF personnel Rohitash Lamba belongs to.
Rohitash Lamba was just 27-year-old when he lost his life in Pulwama attack.
But what makes it even more painful is the fact that he just got married a year ago and has a 2-month-old daughter. A daughter whom he never had a chance to meet once.
At 27, when many young minds struggle with issues like a break-up or a demanding job or settling abroad; when you see men like Rohitash Lamba arriving in tricolour you wonder if they are made up of different ‘Mitti‘.
What makes them so brave that they leave everything behind to fight for the country?
A netizen, Ashwini Virji, shared her awe and grief through this beautiful poem with Indiatimes:
Daddy’ little girl
Goodbye my brave daddy,
Not seen you even once,
I will have no memory of you, because I got here – just 2 months!
I think I must have waited,
but know you’ll never come,
the only way to know you now,
will be from the tales mom’s tears will hum.
I know you must have longed,
to see me really soon.
But you did what you had to-
What followed was misfortune.
I will know you from the world-
The brave heart that you were.
But how will you ever know me?
That will always be a blur.
I know not War and Peace,
And I don’t know the world.
But the one thing I will never know is,
how to be my daddy’s little girl.
– Ashwini Virji
While reading about their inspiring stories, one can’t help but feel the lump in your throat.
You couldn’t stop yourself from asking questions like:
Who will take care of the families of these soldiers?
Who will take care of the 2-month-old daughter of this brave soldier?
Why we tend to forget the contribution of our real heroes?
How these souls get so much of immense courage to sacrifice their lives for saving others?
And, finally, you couldn’t stop asking the most important question to yourself –
What have you done for your country?