Rotary salutes martyrs
An All-Faith Memorial Service was hosted by RC Madras Bay City, D 3232, at the Ethiraj College for Women in Chennai to pay homage to the martyrs of the Armed Forces. DG Babu Peram attended the solemn event along with many other Rotarians, uniformed officers, NCC cadets, students and the college faculty.
Addressing the gathering, Peram said Peace and Conflict Resolution was one of the focus areas of Rotary and called upon everyone to rise above the narrow confines of religion and artificial boundaries for a better world.
Rear Admiral Alok Bhatnagar, Flag Officer Commanding, TN and Puducherry Naval Area, pointed out that the society is being fractured on religious lines and events like this all-faith service buttress the secular ethos of the country.
A nation will be doomed if its society does not respect the martyrs who had made the supreme sacrifice in the call of duty while securing the borders, said Commodore Vijesh Garg, Deputy Director General, NCC Directorate. “And to the credit of Rotary, it has taken pains each year to hold the all-faith service in memory of those who had laid their lives at the Armed Forces.” The club has been organising the event for the past seven years.
“We take the safety of our borders as granted without really appreciating the constant vigil of our soldiers, sailors and airmen,” observed Lt Gen CA Krishnan, member, Armed Forces Tribunal, Chennai bench. Whether it is the scorching heat of Rajasthan or snowflakes in Siachen, the army men had never flinched from the call of duty.
It is the moral duty of civilians and society to take care of the families, loved ones left behind by martyrs while securing the nation.
A nation will be doomed if its society does not respect the martyrs who had made the supreme sacrifice in the call of duty.
Commodore Vijesh Garg
Deputy Director General, NCC
Ethiraj College Chairman V M Muralidharan, the chief guest, said, “no child is born as Hindu, Muslim or Christian. But as we grow up we begin to assimilate mental divides and barriers in the name of religion and so forth.” But today’s youngsters are far ahead in terms of showing an ‘inclusive character’ for “I have learnt a lot from them during the 2015 Chennai floods as they went about rescuing people without showing any bias.”
The host club president Commodore K P Ramachandran, DG Peram, PDG ISAK Nazar, club presidents, along with serving officers of the Armed Forces, laid wreaths on the dais to pay homage as part of memorial service.
An inter-faith prayer session was held with excerpts read from the holy books. The memorial service was co-hosted by RCs Madras Central Aadithya, Anna Nagar Aadithya, East RA Puram, Chennai IT City, Madras Nungambakkam and Chennai Serenity.
