OrionHunter
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On the grey, misty morning of January 29, an 11-year-old in a brown jacket marched up to her hero father's coffin. She snapped into a salute and filled the air with a full-throated cry:
“Tiger 9 GR Ko! Ho Ki Hoina? (Was he the Tiger of 9 Gorkha Rifles?)" The stiffness in her saluting hand melted in an instant and she broke down as brave heart Colonel Munindra Nath Rai's Gorkha Rifles colleagues punched the air: “Ho, ho, ho (Yes, yes, yes. He was)."
Venue, Delhi Cantonment. Occasion: Homecoming of a gallant officer who was martyred fighting terrorists on January 27, only a day after he was decorated with a gallantry medal.
It's been seven months since Alka saluted her father's bravery and filled the nation's heart with pride. Today , she's her family's strength. Late Colonel Rai's wife, Priyanka often runs her fingers over his uniform. It fills her with sadness. But Alka doesn't let her mother cry: “I won't let his uniform go waste. I'll join the Army, alter this uniform. I'll wear his uniform,“ she says.
Col Rai will be awarded the Shaurya Chakra on Saturday. “He cleared the Wellington Staff College in his first attempt. His unit often referred to him as a high-flying officer. Had he lived, he would have done so much more for the nation,“ says Priyanka.
Rai commanded the 42 Rashtriya Rifles in Tral for two years, always putting the safety of his jawans before him. The locals too loved him. “The area's children knew him.He kept chocolates in his vehicle to distribute among kids,“ Priyanka remembers. His lesson to his children was to live honestly and embrace humanity . He is survived by three children, two daughters -Alka (11), Richa (9) and a son Aditya (6).
Rai's last WhatsApp status summed up his philosophy: “Itni shiddat se apna farz nibhao ki purdah girne ke baad bhi taaliyan bajti rahein“ (Do your duty such that the applause doesn't stop even after curtains)."
THEIR WAR FOR OUR PEACE - Gorkha Tiger's daughter waits to don dad's uniform
“Tiger 9 GR Ko! Ho Ki Hoina? (Was he the Tiger of 9 Gorkha Rifles?)" The stiffness in her saluting hand melted in an instant and she broke down as brave heart Colonel Munindra Nath Rai's Gorkha Rifles colleagues punched the air: “Ho, ho, ho (Yes, yes, yes. He was)."
Venue, Delhi Cantonment. Occasion: Homecoming of a gallant officer who was martyred fighting terrorists on January 27, only a day after he was decorated with a gallantry medal.
It's been seven months since Alka saluted her father's bravery and filled the nation's heart with pride. Today , she's her family's strength. Late Colonel Rai's wife, Priyanka often runs her fingers over his uniform. It fills her with sadness. But Alka doesn't let her mother cry: “I won't let his uniform go waste. I'll join the Army, alter this uniform. I'll wear his uniform,“ she says.
Col Rai will be awarded the Shaurya Chakra on Saturday. “He cleared the Wellington Staff College in his first attempt. His unit often referred to him as a high-flying officer. Had he lived, he would have done so much more for the nation,“ says Priyanka.
Rai commanded the 42 Rashtriya Rifles in Tral for two years, always putting the safety of his jawans before him. The locals too loved him. “The area's children knew him.He kept chocolates in his vehicle to distribute among kids,“ Priyanka remembers. His lesson to his children was to live honestly and embrace humanity . He is survived by three children, two daughters -Alka (11), Richa (9) and a son Aditya (6).
Rai's last WhatsApp status summed up his philosophy: “Itni shiddat se apna farz nibhao ki purdah girne ke baad bhi taaliyan bajti rahein“ (Do your duty such that the applause doesn't stop even after curtains)."
THEIR WAR FOR OUR PEACE - Gorkha Tiger's daughter waits to don dad's uniform