A retired armyman is soldiering on for the cause of armed forces job aspirants, waging a determined battle for four years in the state’s Bundelkhand region and pitching in with land and money to provide a training ground and running track for the candidates.
Subedar major (retired) Virendra Singh’s effort is now set to come in handy for youngsters from a remote Banda village who will try their luck at an armed forces recruitment rally to select Agniveers in Kanpur from September 30 onwards.
Besides, the 10 bigha of the land given last year, he shells out ₹10,000 a month as a token of his support to the cause.
None of this has happened easily. Subedar major (retired) Virendra Singh spent four years seeking help from gram pradhans (village heads) and district level government officials, asking them to spare a ground could be spared where a 400- metre track could be laid for the armed forces job aspirants. His efforts initially went in vain.
Then, he got two warring brothers to support his cause even though they were engaged in a legal battle over 24 bighas of land. He told them that while the ownership issue would be settled in court, they should allow him to use the land for a larger purpose. The brothers agreed.
{{/usCountry}}Then, he got two warring brothers to support his cause even though they were engaged in a legal battle over 24 bighas of land. He told them that while the ownership issue would be settled in court, they should allow him to use the land for a larger purpose. The brothers agreed.
{{/usCountry}}Now, 70 youngsters at Jaurharpur, a remote village of Banda, are training hard under the watchful eyes of Virendra Singh, who devotes three days a week and ₹10,000 a month for upkeep of the track and training ground.
“The entire Banda district has one 400-metre track at Jawaharlal Nehru Inter College. Not everyone can go to the district headquarters from far-flung villages for practice. I had given 10 bighas of land for training purposes last year, but it is not enough,” he said.
This year, he provided a bigger space for aspirants who will appear for recruitment as Agniveers in Kanpur.
Youths from 16 villages are preparing at this makeshift facility for last six months.
One of the aspirants, Vinay Kumar Tiwari, sets off from Karauli village with his friend Dilip Kumar on a motorcycle at 3.30am for the 7am training session. “We chose this place because of the personal touch Subedar sahib and his team provides. Not only does he give invaluable insights, he helps us with our paper work,” Vinay says.
He is hopeful of making it through the recruitment process as he feels the team has designed the training sessions well. Virendra Singh, whose three children are serving in the army, says Bundelkhand, from where a large number of youths join the armed forces, needs facilities at the block level.
Currently serving in the power department, the retired armyman says he was pained to see aspirants running on the road and training in fields earlier.
“Running on track has many more benefits. More than 30 youths started training the day we got this track,” he says.
“By God’s grace, I have everything. If these boys achieve their aim with my help, nothing can beat that satisfaction,” he says.