Dedicate Srinagar & Jammu Airports to 1st PVC Major S N Sharma & 2nd PVC NK J(Y)adu .N Singh before Prakram Divas-2025
23rd January is Prakaram Divas ( Netaji’s Birthday) and also Hari Singh Ji Birthday
DAYA SAGAR
Government of India in 2021 decided that 23rd January, the birthday of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose , shall be celebrated as Prakram Divas at national/ international level. The 23rd January 2023 was observed as the 3rd Prakaram Divas, the day was , the 126thbirth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, unveiling the model of a proposed memorial dedicated to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (on the newly inaugurated statue of Netaji at Kartavya Path in New Delhi) , to be set up in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and declaring that 21 islands of the UT of Andaman and Nicobar will be named after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees , Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said “The message is the message of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat; this message is the message of the bravery of our Armed Forces.” Just like an ocean connects different islands, similarly, the feeling of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ ignites the spirit of Bharat Mata and India First”. Present at the same ceremony Mr. Amit Shah ( who was later scheduled to also hoist the national flag and deliver a public speech at Netaji Stadium, the place where Netaji is said to have unfurled the Tricolour on December30, 1943) Andaman and Nicobar, had paid gratitude to Prime Minister saying < PM Narendra Modis initiative to name islands after Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardees will ensure they are remembered forever,>. No doubt the gestures were very earnestly appreciated / welcomed by Indian people No honour can fully pay back what the PVC decorated soldiers had done for the nation but still the country men every where do desire to express very very special gestures towards the PVC decorated soldiers and their families, K*K is no different.
The people / subjects of the erstwhile State of J&K / UTs for expressing earnestly special gratitude to the PVC decorated soldiers, more particularly since 16 out of 21 PVC decorated soldiers had made extreme sacrifices / demonstrated extra ordinary valour while fighting the enemy on the borders/ LOC of erstwhile State Jammu & Kashmir and 15 out of !6 PVC soldiers had been non state subjects of J&K have been suggesting to award the rights of Permanent Resident of J&K to the families of all the PVC decorated soldiers but the demands had not been entertained by the governments all these years what to talk for all 21 PVC decorated soldiers not even for the 15 non permanent resident soldiers who fought on J&K border. It is not out of place to mention here that suggestions have also been made for naming Srinagar / Badgam International Airport after the 1st PVC Awardee Major Som Nath Sharma ( Dogra from today’s Himachal Pradesh) and the Jammu Airport after 2nd PVC awardee NK J(Y)adu Nath Singh (from UP). No doubt no extreme sacrifice can be graded less than the other one but the time / occasion of valour / commitment / sacrifice of Major Som Nath Sharma and NK J(Y)adu Nath Singh was very preciously timed for the then J&K State that had acceded to India only on 26th Oct 1947 after having been attacked by “Pakistan” & enemy having already made advances due to almost negligible local state forces there to defend and hence but for their valour / sacrifice the dimensions of today’s POJK would have been much larger which could be well read from the texts of the citations / inscriptions / notes recorded by the then commanders in their favour and the same are being produced here in.
In reference to PVC Maj Som Nath Sharma ( Battle of Badgam 03-11-1947 Indo Pak War ) < Lt. Col.M. N. Khanna Commanding Officer 4 Komaon Regiment who recommended martyr Maj Som Nath Sharma O.C. ‘D’ Coy . Unit-4 Kumaon for HONOURS and Awards had written ” But for this offr’s bravery and sacrifice of his own life it is most probable that the SRINAGAR airfield would have been over run by the enemy and jeopardised this whole KASHMIR operations”>
Naik J(Y)adunathSingh guarded Taindhar Ridge and kept Pakistan away from Nowshera & Hence large part of J&K out from occupation by Pakistan ( Battle of Nowshera Indo Pak War 06-02-1948) . The Yadunath_Memorial_Stone at_Taindhar_Top_near_Naushera reads< No. 27373 NK Yadunath Singh PVC ( Posthumous) 1 Rajput ( 4 Guards ) Born 21 November 1916 Died in Action 6 February 1948 ” Your God is both your Cause, Your Battle and Captain, Come Life or Death, Your God will Bear Your Company, And Ever Keep This Field, This Place and This Days Service In His Grateful Remembrance” This Memorial is Erected in Solemn Tribute to A Warrior Legend Who Sacrificed His Mortal Being to A Greater Glory of Indian Nation on This Very Spot . NK Yadunath Singh Single Handedly Killed 230 Men of the Enemy And sacrificed His Yesterday so That Citizens of Naushera may live Their Tomorrow. Inaugurated on 6 Feb 1996>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been taking leads over all other leader. Hence demands for naming the Srinagar/ Badgam International Airport after PVC Maj Som Nath Sharma and Jammu Airport after PVC NK J(Y)adu Nath Singh were very hopefully made again after 23 Sep 2023 by the subjects of J&K hoping that atleast now J&K UT administration would make necessary moves in that direction for impressing upon aviation ministry to concede the demands.
Those impressing upon GOI to demonstrate gestures towards PVC decorated soldiers still hope that any proposals if formally placed before the Prime Minister Modi would surely get his approvals.
It is not out of place to mention here that J&K UT Administration had declared 0n 15th September 2022 the 23rd September , the birthday of the then Maharaja of Princely State of J&K as a gazetted holiday for government offices & education institutions to honour his decision to accede ( though late) to India.
So it is no wishful thinking to hope that t Srinagar Airport and Jammu Airports would be dedicated in the names of 1st PVC Awardee Major Som Nath Sharma ( Dogra from today’s Himachal Pradesh) and the 2nd PVC Awardee NK J(Y)adu Nath Singh ( UP) before we celebrate the 2025 Prakram Divas and 23rd September as birth anniversary day of Maharaja Hari Singh ji.
(The writer is Sr Journalist & leading scribe J&K affairs)