As Bollywood comes to the rescue of their delicate darling Aryan Khan, the 23-year-old son of Bollywood Muslim superstar Shahrukh Khan as described by Arfa Khanum Sherwani editor of online news portal The Wire, a story of courage, sacrifice, and love of the country has emerged from gods own country Kerala.
On Monday (October 11) as the entire liberal cabal were following the bail plea of a rich entitled spoilt brat who was caught red-handed for using drugs, a 24-year-old soldier of the Indian Army named H Vaisakh made the supreme sacrifice whilst fighting Islamic terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir along with four other brave men.
While Bollywood and some political parties are calling the arrest of Aryan Khan a conspiracy and plead for his innocence and immediate release from prison, the family of Vaisakh is bid a tearful goodbye to their only son.
Vaisakh along with Naib Subedar (JCO) Jaswinder Singh, a recipient of Sena Medal, Naik Mandeep Singh, Gajjan Singh, Saraj Singh lost their lives fighting Pakistan-sponsored jihadists in a village close to Dera Ki Gali in Surankote area of the border district of Poonch.
The Army and the state police had launched a joint operation based on intelligence inputs that terrorists have managed to infiltrate from Pakistan and have crossed the Line of Control(LoC). The heavily armed terrorists started firing with a firing on security forces which led to five Indian Army soldiers being killed in action.
H Vaisakh like so many who are serving in the armed forces was the sole breadwinner for his family and had joined the Indian Army when he was 19 to financially support his family. But he also had an ulterior motive and that was his love for his country. If the salary from the army paid the bills, the joy, honor, and privilege of wearing the uniform were even more.
He actively sought deployment in Jammu and Kashmir where for over thirty years, Pakistan has been waging a proxy war that led to the mass exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the valley. At age 19, Vaisakh took a loan that is still being repaid and by the age of 24 he had built his own house for his mother and sister and also purchased a car for the family.
Ofcourse, the gravity of such pain won’t be understood by those who empathize with the statement made by Satish Manshinde, one of Aryan Khan’s many expensive lawyers hired by his Muslim father Shahrukh Khan who said, “Aryan Khan has no need to sell drugs on the ship if he wants he could buy the whole ship,”.
This is a far cry when Vaisakh who was only 24 managed to build a house for his mother and sister while Aryan Khan had never done a hard day’s work. Yet Aryan is the headline for newspapers, Twitter trends, and the topic of prime-time news debate where people come and shamelessly defend someone who has allegedly violated the law. And when found guilty, they play the victim card.
Not to mention how much money is being paid to PR firms and rent-a-pen journalists to write sob stories of the rich little lamb who has been thrown to the wolves.
Barely four months ago that Vaisakh’s mother and sister had moved into their newly constructed home which Vaisakh had built at the Odanavattom village, their native place and after a long period of struggle which the family had endured, happiness had finally dawned on them.
When Vaisakh was a child his family had to stay in a rented house for several years. They had to sell their own house and land to meet their financial liabilities. But after Vaisakh joined the Indian Army, he saved his income to take care of his family.
According to Wion, two months ago Vaisakh’s maternal grandmother had passed away. Since he was on duty, he couldn’t make it on time for the funeral but came on leave a couple of days later to perform the rituals.
It was under these trying circumstances he told his family that he has voluntarily asked for posting in Jammu and Kashmir. Little did they expect that he would return in a coffin draped in tri-colour.
Mohankumar, Vaisakh’s maternal uncle said that he was an “extremely affable, good-natured person, who was very hardworking and had the sole mission of giving a better life for his modest family. “Getting his younger sister(who recently completed her college education) happily married was among his top priorities, while his own needs and wants came last”.
One cannot blame Aryan Khan for his misdeeds that have led to his misfortune, but this is indeed is a tale of two different upbringings because one volunteered to serve while the other voluntarily pleasured. Vaisakh wanted to take care of his family and also serve his country, the other born to riches and privilege spoiled by his parents who are willing to spend astronomical sums to ensure the release of their son who will one day become a Bollywood star.
It must also be noted that Naik Mandeep Singh, Gajjan Singh, Saraj Singh, and Vaisakh were all under the age of 24. But the fallen will soon be forgotten and the rotten will be celebrated as a victim and a victor when he is released.
The sacrifice of Vaisakh and his Band of Brothers reminded me of two great poems that I read in school, Veer Tum Badhe Chalo, Dheer Tum Badhe Chalo written by Shri Dwarika Prasad Maheshwari, and Alfred Lord Tennyson poem Half a league.
My favorite stanza goes like this: Their’s not to reason why Their’s but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.
And here is another from my heart.
Soldiers wade to danger without fright thus paid the supreme price
Remember their sacrifice
Vaisakh and his brothers were young and brave
They did their best for family and country, now they shall live forever in memory
Dreams of wombs and broken bangles crushed, but the wife and mother will never say they regret
Now they are home draped in our sacred flag because they died for our motherland
Tears roll down the cheeks, but the tear stain forever imprints our being
Remember their sacrifice.
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