UP’s ‘village of soldiers’ gears up for I-Day

UTTAR PRADESH: In Gahmar, one of the country’s largest villages and where almost every household has members who have served or are serving in the Army, the enthusiasm is palpable on the eve of Independence Day with the tricolour hoisted atop every house.

In this “village of soldiers”, hoisting the tricolour on Independence Day and Republic Day is a tradition and the government’s ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign this year has only added to the spirit of patriotism.

Villagers say soldiers from Gahmar have fought in wars from World War II to Kargil conflict.

Pictures and medals of soldiers adorn shelves in most houses of Gahmar.

The tricolour has been hoisted atop every house in the village and the administration is also doing its bit to make the campaign a success, he added.

Ishwar Chandra, a social worker, said the spirit of patriotism gripped the village after many of its soldiers laid down their lives in World War II.

Multiple generations of some families have been associated with the Army, he said.

One such family is that of Lt. Col Ram Bachan Singh (retd.) who took part in the 1971 India-Pakistan war.