When Uri martyr Harinder Yadav was cremated in his village in Ghazipur district on Tuesday evening, there was no screaming, shouting or wailing — just quiet tears and a sense of pride.
When Uri martyr Harinder Yadav was cremated in his village in Ghazipur district on Tuesday evening, there was no screaming, shouting or wailing — just quiet tears and a sense of pride.
Harinder Yadav belonged to Ghazipur that has the largest village in India called Gahmar. With a population of about 75, 000, Gahmar has earned the unique distinction of having one member from each family in the armed forces.
Though Harinder Yadav lived in Deopur village which is next to Gahmar, the influence of Gahmar can be clearly seen.
“Some families have more than one member of the family in the armed forces and every house has photographs of its martyrs on the walls. People are proud of their fathers, brothers and sons but do not want publicity on this issue,” says Markandey Singh, president of Indian Ex-Service Men Society.
According to rough estimates, about 18,000 men from Gahmar are in active service while over 10,000 veterans have returned to the village post-retirement.
Sumita Singh, who lost her father in the Bangladesh war and her brother in the Kargil war and now her grandson in Kashmir insurgency in 2007, refuses to be photographed.
“I have two more grandsons who are preparing to join the armed forces. Instead of taking my photographs, you should go to the border areas and write about the conditions our soldiers live in,” she says.
Sumita says, “Almost every house in Gahmar is a ‘pucca’ construction and this has been possible only because of our men who serve the Army and send us money. Every male child in the village aspires to join the army and now even our daughters want to join the ranks”.
Every morning, Gahmar wakes up before the sun rises and young boys and men can be seen running around to improve their stamina.
The Army provides the facility of a mobile Canteen Stores Department for family members of serving personnel, who make their purchases on subsidised rates.
Similarly, a team of doctors from Varanasi visits the village for monthly checkups and treatments.
UP minister Om Prakash Singh who belongs to Ghazipur, says, “Gahmar is a village that everyone is proud off. Other villages are now emulating he example of Gahmar and more and young boys are joining the armed forces. This is perhaps the only village in the country that has made so much contribution to the country and without shouting about it from rooftops.”
