Pankaj Juyal
Pankaj Juyal- To many this name might sound familiar (something they have read in a newspaper), to some it might not mean anything but for me this name symbolizes the person who defined my life and my love for my country. He was my school friend. He was a good friend and was always supportive of me in every decision I took. He was shy and seldom spoke to any girls. We all went our separate ways after school.
I met him after three years, when I was doing my engineering and he had become an officer in Army. He was posted in Bangalore for some time where I was studying. It was a shock to see him for the first time. He had changed so much. He had become more outgoing and smarter than ever. I could see the change in his personality after joining Army. He said army was the best thing that had happened to him and I believed it. It was evident by the way he talked, laughed and even looked at people.
I spoke to him often after that via phone and emails. My brother-in-law is in army too so I have a special respect for army officers. After one year I got the news that Pankaj was being posted to the same station where my sister was located. I became very excited at the thought of meeting Pankaj again, but fate had something else in mind. I got the news after a few days that he had expired in a bomb explosion in Gujarat. That news shook my faith in life and also in justice. Here was Pankaj who had never ever hurt anyone and was always so good to everyone he knew but he was so mercilessly taken away from us. He changed every life he touched and will always make a difference in our lives.
Maybe we realize the value of our friends and relatives only after they are gone. We tend to take them for granted when they are around but value each and every thing related to them once they are gone. I could not even see Pankaj’s face a last time because there was no face left. I only have the last memory of Pankaj when I last met him. He had sent me so many cards and letters in our friendship of twelve years but the one that I treasure is the New Year’s card that I received after his death.
(Pay your homage to the martyr's here:
http://indianarmy.nic.in/martyrs/homage.jsp?pic_id=60706
)
Labels: indian army, Pankaj Juyal
posted by Freemind @ 1:23 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I am touched after reading your blog about Pankaj.
I am really moved by your blog.. and would like to salute the matyr... in my lifetime I have known another person who has sacrifised his life for the country... Lt. Sanjay Singh Chauhan, who was my senior in school, and who fought bravely with the terrorists in Kashmir. Hwe was also awarded the kirti chakra for his bravery... I was deeply moved by his death... and i always remember him
may be there is a better world then this and god chose him for that ...
personally i am strictly against the concept of army and militancy...
My Last meeting with Pankaj -
I had traveled from Bombay (where i was studying) to Pune during which time he was doing his NDA training and studying for his Bachelor's degree.
In Pune i was, at first, surprised to see that he had lost all his extra weight and had become slim/ trim and dark. Just the opposite to what he was in our schooling days.
He was a very much a changed person. He had really opened up and had become a full-on extrovert.
He had a distinct quality of being generous at heart. I want to put down one instance wherein, when in Pune, i showed interest in buying a pair of army shoes from the Army canteen. We strolled around the campus and it had gotten late and the canteen got closed by the time we made it. All of a sudden, he offered me to take his army boots ! Shucks man , i miss you .. .
After learning about his demise, I met his brother (who was of the same age as my younger brother) and his mom. To come to think of it, they have made the biggest sacrifice.
My dear friend, I salute you and you would remain etched in our hearts, forever.
Hi .. i was just surfing and i don't know how I stumbled upon this blog .. i cannot believe that my Bros friend wrote such a butiful and touching blog abt him ... I am Pankaj;s younger brother, Atul. I was sooo touched and became emotional reading it... I always knew he has some of the greatest frnds and today i saw a blog of 2006 and got the proof ... Hope u r still maintaining this account . God bless you and always take care !!!
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