It was 7 pm. & sharp at that the lights are switched off in Jehangir leaving deem lights for us to collect our things & move out…
But a soul was lingering near my sculpture… WAR HERO…
His gaze glued to it & the words that said..
‘the medallions I bear on my body … till I die…’
When I approached him asked… whose line is this.. & I said…
‘of course mine… that’s my thought when I made this sculpture…’
He said with a slight lump in his throat…
I was on Siyachen glacier post.. when I was hit… & that’s the medallion I will have till I die… was the thought when I was hit…
& here you are saying the same words… & the sculpture says it all the more….’
To this I was at loss of words…
My father was on Burma border in 2nd world war…
He was hit by a bomb splinter on his knee & he led his battalion to his post & then fainted … travelling the distance of 17 miles with that wounded knee… to wake up in Lucknow Army hospital… after he was operated…
The words might have their origin there…
& here is a soldier who identified with the words with same passion… saying…
These words I read made me walk down the memory lane….