The octogenarian war widow of lance Naik Albert Ekka, Balamdina Ekka's 44-year old wish finally got fulfilled on Saturday, as she returned amid full military honours with the mortal remains of her husband who was laid to rest in Sripally in West Tripura district.
She tied the mortal remains in her 'aanchal'. “Paramveer inke aanchal mein wapaas aaye hai”, were the words which declared the homecoming of lance Naik Albert Ekka.
Her husband, Paramveer Albert Ekka laid his life onDecember 3 in the battle of Hilli during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. Ekka was only 29 then.All that she maintained with moist eyes was, “main sab ko aashirwad deti hoon jisne meri madat ki.”
“I am proud of my husband; it feels good to have his remains brought back home. I am grateful to the Indian Army, Chief Minister Raghubar Das and the Jharkhand Government for the support they have shown along the way,” Balamdina managed to say in her frail yet relieved voice.
People from all walks of life congregated at Birsa Munda Airport to welcome Balamdina and her companions as they touched down on Saturday afternoon. Officials of 11th Battalion of Bihar Regiment presented the guard of honour to the pious remains of the Paramveer Chakra awardee. Turn to Page 4
Indo-Pak war hero widow's dream comes trueOn arrival, Balamdina was received by the district administration officials and functionaries of urban local bodies. Officials of 11th Bihar Regiment presented the guard of honour to the remains of the martyr. Colonel Anuj Gupta, Regiment's Commanding Officer, and Major General R Nagaraj of Cockerel Division laid the wreath before the pious remains of the martyr.
Waiting at the airport to welcome the widow of his martyred brother in arms, Naik (Retired) Samuel Dan of 8th Bihar Regiment applauded the government's help, but demanded that other martyrs from the State should also be found and honoured.
"There are several soldiers from Jharkhand who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country but were lost after the wars were over. The efforts made by the State Government is commendable but similar endeavours are required for finding the last resting places of other soldiers from the State who died while fighting for India," stated Dan.
"In near future, we will try to find out about the other soldiers from Jharkhand who lost their lives during various wars and couldn't be found again," said Ratan Tirkey, member of Tribal Advisory Council who led the visit to Agartala and Gangasagar in Bangladesh for retrieving the remains of lance Naik Albert Ekka.
Accompanied by her son, Vincent Ekka, other family members and acquaintances, Balamdina left for Albert Ekka Chowk, where she paid floral tribute to the statue of her husband. On her way, she garlanded the statues of Birsa Munda and Rajendra Prasad.
After honouring the freedom fighters, Balamdina left for Jari, the ancestral village of Albert Ekka in Gumla, where the remains will be put to rest in the backyard of their familial home.