Kargil.com 8212; Netizens bombard Sharif with mail

And while Pakistan-bashing may be the favourite activity right now, netizens are not willing to forgive Indians either. Pointing towards our own callousness, a chain letter that has been doing the rounds draws parallels between the way we treat our cricketers vis-a-vis our soldiers.

8220;An Indian Air Force flight lieutenant is paid Rs 1,200 flying allowance per month and he is supposed to make 40 sorties in ageing MiGs. That is about Rs 25 per sorty after taxes. Afterhe dies, his family gets paid Rs 2 lakh. The Man of the Match8217; in any World Cup team gets 3,000 pounds, about Rs 2.1 lakh8221;.

Another letter describes the hardships being faced by the men at the LoC. 8220;At 15,000 ft death is steely, silent. In Batalik, you can8217;t breathe normally. There is less oxygen in the air there8230; And that8217;s where our soldiers are. Fighting the enemy. Facing the bullets. Dying alone in the snow8230; Brave. That is what these soldiers are8230; Brave in the face of death8230; Let their deaths not go waste, unacknowledged. Let us not have a memorial for Unknown Soldiers8221;.

And 8220;bowing down to those unsung warriors of the nation,8221; more and more are joining in carrying the message forward 8212; forwarding it and putting their names on signature campaigns, one of which promises to deliver Rs 100 as donation to the Army for every 50 names.

Apart from the chain letters, there are various sites on the net, which are conducting opinion polls and have also set up message boards. MIT Classified, onesuch site, not only asks you to vote on whether India should go for a full-fledged war8217; but also promises to forward citizens8217; messages to the soldiers at the LoC.

In fact, to war or not, is a question that surfaces in every online poll. And almost 50 per cent of those polling are voting in favour on every site.

Interestingly, more than 42 per cent, who participated in the Indiavotes.com poll describe the Government8217;s handling of the Kargil crisis as Excellent8217; while 10.2 per cent found it Disappointing8217;.

However, the mail that is being described as the most practical8217; and which is being forwarded with a zeal as well as inspiring everyone is the one titled If you wanna do something8217;. Short and concise, this mail just states that it is our duty to contribute towards the rehabilitation process of the families of the jawans who have lost their lives, along with the address at which donations can be made.

The address is: Army Central Welfare Fund, Deputy Director CW-8, Adjutant General8217;s Branch,Army Headquarters, West Block-III, R K Puram, New Delhi-110066.

Demand Drafts/cheques should be made out to Deputy Director, Army Welfare Fund.