Serving the nation: A legacy in Indo-Pak war hero's native village
Gumla: Villages in the
Albert Ekka
(Jari) block of
Gumla district
, particularly the
Jari village
and its neighbouring areas, have maintained a strong legacy of their young men joining the armed forces and various central security organisations over the years.The distinguished son of Jari village, Lance Naik Albert Ekka, who sacrificed his life in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, received the nation's highest military decoration, the
Param Veer Chakra
(PVC).
He is the only PVC recipient from eastern India, so far. Two of Ekka's siblings, Ferdinand Ekka (now retired) and Lt Jerom Ekka, also served in the Army.In these regions, mothers have immense honour and pride when their sons join the Army and other central forces, including the BSF. The residents of all 52 villages in this block have at least one or two family members serving in the Army or other security forces. Currently, Basant Minj from nearby Asro village, which boasts of having 40 Army personnel, is defending the nation against adversaries in Kashmir.Reacting to the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, Abrensia Tirkey, mother of Dinesh Tirkey and wife of an ex-Army man of Kanji village, told TOI, "I sent my son to serve the country.
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It gives immense pleasure. He was posted in Kashmir. Mothers like me from our area feel proud of sending sons to safeguard the country."Similarly, Tarsheela Lakra, the mother of BSF jawan Bimal Lakra, said, "Our children joined the Army to serve the country. I was very happy when my son was selected for the BSF. He went to protect the border areas of the country in Jammu & Kashmir. He returned home after completing his job last month."On the ceasefire, the elderly Tarsheela added, "It's also a matter of relief for those who worked in the very difficult situations to safeguard the country."
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