CHANDIGARH, JULY 25: The stream of daily visitors and well wishers has not subsided even though the battles in Kargil are more or less over. Flowers, get-well cards, sweets and donations continue to pour in.For kids and grown-ups alike, interacting with battle casualties at the Western Command Hospital has been an enlightening experience and a means to satisfy curiosity.The hospital visitors' book, as well as scores of cards, all hand-drawn in patriotic fervour by children, bear testimony to the unprecedented support, empathy and concern expressed for the men in olive green."I had wanted to share my birthday with the brave soldiers who make it safe for all Indians to enjoy life. I wish I can do something more than that," wrote Madhulika Kak, a Sector 16 resident."The brave deserve the best care and here they are getting more than that. My best wishes to the patients and my prayers for their speedy recovery. And my thanks to those who are taking care of them," says another entry in the book."May God bless you. Hope to see you very soon. We are very proud of you and our best wishes are with you. Bravo," wrote Mohali resident Tanya Singh."All good wishes for those injured in Kargil. God bless them. Their lives have a value and meaning," said a note signed by Maniki Deep."Our brave soldiers, till you are there nobody can take even a single inch of Indian land from us. I don't have words to express my feelings. Thanks a lot," writes Bharat Sharma from Sector 22."All the best in the universe for our brave soldiers. We all are with you and whatever we can do is yours on asking," said the message penned by Prabhat, Vineeta and Sadhika Sood from Panchkula."It was a remarkable experience. It was good to see smiles amidst so much pain and hurt. It was all very encouraging," wrote Suman Banerjee, a teacher in a Panchkula school."It was a lifetime experience to meet these soldiers. What they have done for us is out of the world. It is thanks to these soldiers that we are alive and enjoying our lives - and they are fighting for strangers like us - hats off to them," wrote Anupama Suri from Panchkula."Please defeat Pakistan," said a straight one-line childish scrawl by Santosh Shri, a Panchkula school kid.Doctors say that there have been instances when some kids have actually cried on seeing some of the injured or those with amputated limbs. "There may not have been much to talk about, but the feeling was definitely there. Kids giving flowers and sweets to the injured soldiers who are away from their families and asking about their experiences had a positive psychological impact," an officer commented.
