Like all other villages, Chrunda located along the Line of Control, bore the fury of the killer earthquake. But the army was a saviour.

They stepped in time to save several lives and provide instant relief. "The army came to us like an angel. They not only cleared the debris of the damaged homes, but also helped rescue those trapped under the rubble," 60year-old Bashir Ahmed (60) said.

The army risked the lives of its jawans for relief and rescue operations and pumped all its resources to mitigate the suffering of the villagers despite losses.

"We lost men, pickets, bunkers and residential quarters, but our boys rushed to help the victims without waiting for orders from our seniors," an army officer in Uri said.

The army later adopted Chrunda and built fully-furnished temporary huts for the villagers.

"We had to build new homes for them keeping in mind that winter was setting in," said an officer at the Chrunda camp.

Chrunda was not the only village where the army rushed relief within hours of the earthquake.

Several other villages also received the Army's healing touch. "As the roads were damaged, we deployed more than a dozen helicopters to evacuate injured villagers to hospitals," public relation officer, 15 Corps of the Indian Army, Colonel Hemant Juneja, said.

Gratitude is writ large on the faces of villagers even after a year. "They gave us food when we were starving."