A widow, a son, aging parents wait for a shrine to open in Chandigarh

Eyes swimming, Poonam says they made her feel very special. ‘‘They were all praise for my husband and said it was their good fortune to coach a war hero’s son.’’

It’s feel-good gestures like these that sustain this feisty woman. ‘‘My husband loved the Army, so do I, so does our son.’’ She hopes Dhruv will also do his bit when he grows up.

The Chandigarh War Memorial is welcome because it will remind Dhruv of his father’s bravery. ‘‘I am looking forward to going there and reading his name.’’

Manju Kanwar and her husband, Lt Col (retd) J S Kanwar, have also pinned hopes on the memorial. Their son, Major Sandeep Shankla, died battling militants in the Valley in 1991 and was awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously.

‘‘It will keep the memories of our son alive, he will be in good company,’’ smiles Manju, who took 10 long years to recover from the shock.

The last few years have not been kind to them. Manju wants to set up a scholarship in the name of her son, but they are yet to receive the grant from the government.

‘‘It’s sad that there are only two Ashoka Chakras in Haryana, and the government can’t even take care of their families,’’ she says.

Prof Harbans Sagar, who lost his only son, Major Sandeep Sagar, in the Kargil war, is bitter too. He’s also hurt at the indifference shown to the memorial built in his son’s name at the Sector 18-8 roundabout in Panchkula.

‘‘I had to remove some banners of a political party from there myself, none of the bystanders helped,’’ he says.

But he is happy with the Chandigarh War Memorial.

‘‘Even if people go there for a picnic, they will be reminded of the sacrifices made by our sons,’’ he says.

Shashi Lall, mother of Deputy Commandant Joy Lall of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, who laid down his life in Kargil, is looking forward to the day she will be able to take her students to the Chandigarh War Memorial.

‘‘It is an excellent initiative. And mark my words, it will make the people remember the martyrs for a long, long time.’’