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Prathima Nandakumar
Prathima Nandakumar

KARNATAKA

Governor launches Vidya Veerta Abhiyan to instil patriotism

vidya-veerta-abhiyan Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala during the launch of Vidya Veerta Abhiyan in Bengaluru

"If death strikes before I prove my blood, I promise, I will kill death", is an excerpt from the diary of late Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, who was martyred in Kargil war, and posthumously awarded the Param Veer Chakra, India's highest military honour. 

When Governor of Karnataka Vajubhai Vala launched the Vidya Veerta Abhiyan at Rajbhavan in Bengaluru on Wednesday, it was meant to be a tribute to the audacious courage, leadership, selfless service of the Indian Army, and an effort to inculcate the same values among the youths of the country.

The Governor handed over a CD of the portraits of 21 Param Veer Chakra awardees to the vice-chancellors of Karnataka universities during the event, which was attended by the heads of academic institutions and the armed forces. He also urged the V-Cs to make a "Wall of Heroes" in their respective educational institutions and rope in local heroes (soldiers) during the programmes. Portraits of Karnataka's martyrs—Ashoka Chakra awardee Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad were also garlanded on the occasion. 

"Wisdom without valour is meaningless- said Param Veer Chakra awardee Yogendra Singh Yadav, who recalled his tryst with the Kargil war and reminded that he, like all soldiers was fighting for India. The Wall of Heroes portrays 21 awardees - 18 martyrs, two serving and one retired officers. 

"Every soldier, decorated or otherwise is a Param Veer (brave). The campaign hopes to introduce the real heroes of the nation to our younger generation and inspire them with the valour and wisdom of these warriors to instil the spirit of patriotism," said Tarun Vijay, president of the Abhiyan, adding that the inspiration for the initiative was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at Leh. 

"The soldier is a humanising factor of our life, as being in the armed forces makes one sensitive to human. Our labs in universities, class rooms and study sessions, our democracy and demonstrations and freedom of speech function because there is a soldier at Sikkim and Siachen guarding these freedoms," reminded Vijay, adding that the campaign has been successfully launched at JNU, Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi University, universities and colleges in Assam, Uttarkhand, Kerala, Arunachal and will soon be reaching out to Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states, to cover 1000 universities and colleges across India. 

The Governor lauded the parents of the soldiers and called upon the universities and schools to impart values of courage and valour to the students. 

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Topics : #Karnataka

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