Celina Jaitly on Kargil Diwas: Our values say ‘Yaad Rahey… Naam, Namak aur Nishaan’
On the occasion of 18th Kargil Vijay Diwas, actor Celina Jaitly says one should not forget the contribution of the soldiers whose sacrifice has brought us peace and security.
For actor Celina Jaitly, the mention of Kargil War of 1999 brings back memories of the time, when most of the men in her family “were deployed in the valley”. The actor is also reminded of the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers and urges that “it should never be forgotten because for our tomorrow, they sacrificed their today.”
Celina’s father, late Colonel Vikram Kumar Jaitly [who died on July 2, 2017] was an Indian Army Colonel from Punjab. One of her brother still serves the Indian Army Special Forces. “As a fourth generation Army Brat, I would like to begin by saying that it is very important to remind every Indian citizen that a soldier is a national asset to whom the motto ‘Nation Before Self’ is dearer than life itself,” says Celina, who is married to Hotelier Peter Haag and is a mother of five-year-old twins.
Talking about her father, Celina says, “One of the strongest and bravest officers of the Indian Army Infantry division, known as TIGER, served the maneaters of 17 Kumaon, commanded the incredible infantry battalion of the maneaters of 16 Kumaon. He got two wound medals from multiple gunshots and shrapnel injuries in 1971 war, besides a Sena Medal for counter terrorism insurgency. He was an expert in mountain warfare and counter terrorism studies and always brought us up with one value ‘Yaad Rahey.. Naam, Namak aur Nishaan’, which is the selfless value of all our troops serving our country.”
The 35-year-old adds that during Kargil war, along with the contribution of brave jawans, she also experienced the strength of army wives in full force for the first time in her life.
“So many of my friends lost their fathers, too many gone too young. Every Indian must be proud of the exemplary courage, indomitable spirit and irrepressible valour displayed by the Indian soldiers in the Kargil War. Their sacrifice should never be forgotten” says the actor, adding that Kargil Vijay Diwas is significant to all Indians.
“It’s a day to celebrate nameless heroes just like my dad, who is no more, but he fought for our country and the legacy that he left behind is that of peace and security and self-sacrifice for the greater good for generations of Indians to come,” Celina signs off.
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