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The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Bella Jaisinghani | TNN

On Independence Day, 75 army veterans of 'military village' to be honoured

MUMBAI: This Independence Day, Shanmukhananda Sabha, King's Circle, will honour a group of 75 army veterans from Apshinge "military village" in Satara. Each household here has a son, brother or father in the Army at any given time. Forty-six of its men were martyred in World War 1.

Generations of brave soldiers of Apshinge fought the two World Wars alongside the British, participated in the Sino-Indian battle of 1962 and defended the nation against Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.

On August 15, Shanmukhananda will felicitate 75 war veterans of Apshinge. The audience will include groups of 75 martyrs' families, 75 music school students and 75 orphans. Lt. Gen. H S Kahlon, General Officer Commanding, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, will attend.

Shanmukhananda president V Shankar said, "We will present Apshinge village the Shanmukha Shaurya Ratna Award which carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, citation and memento. Since the students receive physical training in school to prepare them for military service, we will install a state-of-the-art gymnasium there which they will manage. We will redevelop the existing school building and construct a community hall with office facilities for the army men."

The village is located 12 km off Satara. Local trader Hemant Nikam spoke to TOI by phone and despatched old sepia photos of local landmarks including the Vijay Stambh that was erected by the British in honour of their martyrs. "Our children and youth have never considered a career other than the army. For one thing, the population is large, and secondly, agricultural land is scarce. My own father Subedar Ramchandra Nikam fought the Second World War and the battles against China and Pakistan. My brother is a soldier too," he said.

Apshinge is a site that the Indian Army takes pride in. Defence PRO Captain Mehul Karnik spoke about the villagers' exploits during the floods that swept Satara and Kolhapur a few years ago. "It was around Raksha Bandhan. Our teams had gone there to conduct rescue operations and learnt about its history as they stayed there for a few days. It was touching because the villagers also tied rakhis on the jawans' wrists to show their appreciation," he said.

Brig. Hemant Mahajan (Retd.) who works closely with retired army personnel, had visited Apshinge a few years ago. He said, "It is commendable that their service to the nation is being honoured. These villagers do not see the defence forces as a career but a mission. The army is not short of candidates either, but such soldiers with the inborn love of the nation in their hearts are always an asset."

V Shankar said, "Shanmukhananda Sabha has expanded from a cultural organisation to an ambassador of social welfare. We run the second largest dialysis centre in the country and a full-fledged eye care centre. Since five years we've tied up with the Indian Army to honour martyrs' families, war widows and disabled veterans on Republic Day or Independence Day. This year we decided to include institutions not just individuals, and that was when I chanced upon Apshinge."

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