For Sukhdev’s family, ‘God has lit up the sky’

Forty days of anxiety and sleepless nights finally gave way to joy and ecstasy this evening when Dr Ashok Amrohi from the PMO called up their Makraunda Kalan village home around 5 pm. He confirmed that Sukhdev Singh, Anytaryami and Tilak Raj — the three Indian truck drivers taken hostage by Iraqi militants on July 21 — had been freed.

‘‘I couldn’t believe that Sukhdev has been freed. As had happened earlier, we thought that probably there had been some mistake again. I suppose this sudden joy was too much for us to take. Though a TV reporter had called up to congratulate us about 10 minutes ago, we couldn’t afford to get carried away and then get hurt,’’ says a jubilant Harpal.

Entering a nearby gurdwara to offer prasad, Sher Singh says: ‘‘This is the biggest gift we could have ever got. Isn’t it wonderful that Sukhdev has been released on the same day when the nation is celebrating 400 years of the installation of the Adi Granth? This has happened only because of the Maharaja. We will keep an akhand path once he comes back and also go to Amritsar.’’

Sher Singh says he nearly had a ‘‘heart attack’’ this morning when he read about the killings of Nepalese hostages in Iraq. ‘‘Somewhere, we were scared…’’

Despite being heavily in debt, nearly to the tune of Rs 7 lakh, the family had decided to sell off their land to pay for the passage money and agent’s commission to send Sukhdev to Iraq. ‘‘I will never allow him to go again. Never, never. Even if it means begging. We don’t need more money,’’ says Sher Singh, paying obeisance to the Bir.

‘‘All that we want now is his quick arrival. We can’t wait any longer,’’ says Sukhdev’s sister-in-law Karamjit. The family will celebrate with ‘‘dhol in a big way’’ the day he returns.