This poem is dedicated to our unsung heroes of The War of ‘71.
Just a hundred miles from home,
They live, their lives forgotten
By all except their very own,
What fate is theirs ill-gotten.
Fading away now from a reality,
Too hard to face or disown.
Slipping slowly away from sanity,
In unfair captivity all alone.
Wrenched away from society,
From parents, progeny and wives,
Spirits wrecked as they head into,
The twilight of their lives.
Theirs is a tragic tale of loss,
Of youth and love and dreams,
Shared only by the ones they love,
But not by their nation, so it seems.
Captured fighting with honour intact,
They surrendered with dignity,
That was wasted upon their captors,
Who returned it with barbaric cruelty.
Tortured in body,mind and soul,
By every form of violation,
Every law of man and mankind broken,
Not merely the Geneva convention.
How long should they fight alone,
In this battle after the war?
How long should stand silent,
The very nation they fought it for?
What a blunder this was ours?
How could our leaders be so blind?
That while the vanquished held our brave,
We the victors returned theirs so kind.
What greater shame than this will be ours?
To be remembered in history,
As across the border languished our brave,
Yet we dared not to set them free.
Rise now and fight to free them,
O Mother India’s sleeping sons,
Fight long and hard to bring home,
The fifty four of Ninteen Seventy One.
As always, Ravin has penned a beautiful poem, with so much depth and feelings, reminding all of the sacrifices in all forms, and also the forgotten Fifty Four!
A poem worth sharing to awaken a sleeping Nation!
India declared 54 personnel from the three services as ‘missing in action’ after the 1971 war — men who never made their way back home. Fifty-four years have passed, yet no definitive trace has been found. Dr Ravin’s poem is a strong reminder on what Vijay Diwas is all about.
A heartfelt salute to the poet for this beautifully crafted poem. With simple ,yet powerful words, the poem captures the silent courage, sacrifice and unwavering commitment for our men in uniform.