Message on cycles 8212; We won8217;t forget you

PUNE, Nov 30: These soldiers have a unique mission on hand - assuring the grieving families of the Kargil heroes that the nation has not ...

PUNE, Nov 30: These soldiers have a unique mission on hand 8211; assuring the grieving families of the Kargil heroes that the nation has not forgotten their sacrifice. And what could be a better way to pay homage to the martyrs than to personally meet these bereaved families staying in remote villages and listen to their problems.

Twenty-one soldiers of 3, Engineer Regiment have chosen a cycle expedition to reach out to these families and convey their feelings. Led by Captain Manoj Rawat, these soldiers are cycling 4710 km along the entire Southern coast of the country to reach Kanyakumari and then Bangalore on January 10 to commemorate the Raising Day celebrations of the Regiment.

The expedition started from Ahmedabad on November 20 and reached Pune on Tuesday after touching Baroda, Surat, Valsad, Mumbai and Khandala. The expedition was flagged off from Pune from the College of Military Engineering CME by the officiating commandant Brig Vijay Rathi.

The aim of the expedition is to meet the widows of Kargil operation, disabled soldiers and ex-servicemen from the Regiment who have settled into retired life. 8220;We want to assure them that they continue to be a part of the Army family and take up whatever problems they may have with the higher authorities,8221; says Capt Rawat. Captain Rawat left CME just six months back after completing his engineering degree to join his regiment in Ahmedabad.

The expedition also has a lone female member who is cycling along with the soldiers to lend moral support- Capt Rawat8217;s wife Rachna. The team has identified 50 families and plan to visit these as they cycle through different states. 8220;We usually cover 120 km a day, spending nights in Circuit houses, temple courtyards or even the Shaktiman trucks accompanying us,8221; says Naik R Paul Rangoli. On the burning roads of Mumbai, when we could not find a single tree for shade, we just parked the big three tonner and enjoyed our lunch in these, he remembers.

The driver Satya Narain is spending the entire day at the wheel. At nights, his seat doubles up as a place for a snooze. 8220;It is a national shame if we forget our war widows and also the disabled soldiers and pensioners. But unfortunately, public memory is short. While the Kargil conflict was on, we were raving about the sacrifices made by the army. Who remembers their broken families now,8221; laments Capt Rawat, who felt that events like these would help forge a bond with the broken families.

The cyclists will now move to Satara, Kolhapur, Belgaum and then Hyderabad where they plan to have their next administration break. Col D S Randev, former officer of the 3, Engineer Regiment was present at CME today to cheer up the soldiers.