Cash or kind, help pours in from nooks & corners

UDHAMPUR, JUNE 21: ``We cannot go to the frontiers, but we also want to contribute to the national cause. Please tell us how and in what ...

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UDHAMPUR, JUNE 21: “We cannot go to the frontiers, but we also want to contribute to the national cause. Please tell us how and in what form can we help our soldiers fighting the enemy in Kargil?”

Questions like this keep pouring in from all over the country and abroad for the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) at the Northern Command here. “We have been receiving calls from far-off places like Pune for the details as to how they can help the Army fighting the Pakistani intruders in Kargil,” said AWWA president Veena Khanna.

The people who want to help include teachers, government employees, local businessmen, social organisations and even school children. While some want to donate money, there are many desirous of donating blood, according to her. “We have received similar calls from some Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) as well,” she said.

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The AWWA is working out the modalities to receive the help being offered. “It is not the cash or kind which matters, but behind such offers of help is thespirit of the people to stand behind their brave soldiers fighting on the frontiers,” said AWWA vice-president A Aruna Reddy.

Recently, some teachers called on AWWA to seek details about the help they could offer to the Armymen fighting in Kargil. A similar query came from some canteen staff from Pathankot.

School children in the age-group of eight to 12 played a cricket match on the DBN Naval Shanti Niketan School grounds here on Sunday to make their contribution to the Kargil conflict. The exhibition match — played between the Campus Junior XI and Shanti Niketan Bal Bhawan XI despite a drizzle — was organised by the children themselves.

They collected Rs 5,000 through donations for the widows of the Kargil martyrs. The amount will be handed over by the children to the AWWA president, said Vikas Vishan and Shivam Chowhan — captains of the two teams.

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Many people are visiting the Army’s Command Hospital at Udhampur daily to donate blood for the injured Armymen. Nobody minds going through thesecurity checks and waiting at the entrance to seek permission for the purpose. “At least we can stand in the queue for some time for the jawans fighting for us under sub-zero temperature conditions,” said a visitor at the hospital.

To look after the injured Armymen, the AWWA has also set up a Patients’ Welfare Committee with Deepa Joshi as its chairperson. While the patients undergo treatment, the committee members take `care’ of them. “We visit the injured jawans, talk to them to give reassurance, besides other help,” said Joshi.

The committee has also made arrangements for the stay of the families of the injured jawans visiting the hospital. School children are being taken to the hospital to talk to the injured. The children ask them questions about their joining the Army, the ongoing war in Kashmir, and how they sustained injuries.

All this keeps them busy and makes them feel at home, according to the AWWA president. They have also been providing mobile STD telephone facilities to the injuredArmymen so that they can speak to their families at least once a day from hospital.