Param Veer Chakra winners to address JNU students on Republic Day

In a first, several senior Army personnel, including three Param Veer Chakra winners, will gather for the Republic Day celebrations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Thursday evening, in a move to promote patriotism among the students.

According to the organising committee of the event, the idea behind inviting the three legends of Indian Army who received the country’s highest Gallantry award -- Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav, Subedar Major Honorary Captain Bana Singh-- was to send across a “larger message” to the nation.

“People have a wrong perception about JNU. We want to tell them that students and teachers at JNU respect our national heroes who are always ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the country,” said Budhha Singh, coordinator of the event and an assistant professor at JNU.

JNU is also the first varsity to set up a 'wall of heroes' on its campus, displaying the photographs of 21 Param Veer Chakra award winners under the title 'Our Heroes', following the lines of Centre’s ‘Vidya Veerta Abhiyan’ campaign. “We already have the pictures of these legends on our wall of heroes. It will be a wonderful experience
for students to meet them in person now,” he said.

According to JNU’s Rector - III, Rana Pratap Singh, this year’s Republic Day celebrations at JNU will be more “relevant” as the students will get to listen to the first-hand accounts of war heroes. 

“Every year we used to organise cultural programmes on the day. But, this time, students will have totally a different experience,” he said.

During the event,  the three Param Veer Chakra winners will narrate their war stories to the audience. “It will enrich the students and help them to understand the role of army heroes in their lives,” Singh said.

The event, which concludes the ongoing celebration of Swami Vivekananda Birth anniversary, will also witness a special screening of a documentary based on retired Major General GD Bakshi’s book ‘The Fall of Dacca’, based on the role of Indian Army in 1971 Bangladesh war.

TRIBUTE TO HEROES

• JNU is the first varsity to set up a ‘wall of heroes’ on its campus, displaying the photographs of 21 Param Veer Chakra award winners under the title ‘Our Heroes’, following the lines of Centre’s ‘Vidya Veerta
  Abhiyan’ campaign. 
   
• According to JNU’s Rector - III, Rana Pratap Singh, this year’s Republic Day celebrations at JNU will be more “relevant” as the students will get to listen to the first-hand accounts of war heroes.