Village bordering China pays pictorial tribute to Galwan martyrs, draws from mythology

Villagers in Uttarakhand living along the China border say it is their responsibility to stand shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces of the country.

In a unique tribute to the soldiers martyred in the recent India-China face-off in eastern Ladakh, residents from a bordering village of Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district have dedicated a wall carrying paintings of Lord Ram aiming an arrow towards a dragon and of Indian soldiers fighting bravely in Galwan valley.

Painting on the wall in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district depicting Indian soldiers defending the LAC against Chinese aggression in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. (HT Photo)

The slogan “We conquer, we kill” was painted by the villagers on the gram sabha building wall, symbolising China as the dragon. The paintings were commissioned by the Harsil gram sabha along with Harsil eco-tourism committee, a village in Uttarkashi district of the state which shares border with China.

Names of the 20 soldiers martyred in Galwan Valley have also been etched on the wall. Villagers say the main purpose is to remember the sacrifice made by the soldiers and to express gratitude towards them.

Villagers from Sukki, Mukhba, Harsil, Bagori, Dharali, Jhala, Jaspur and Purali in Uttarkashi came together in this unique and inspiring initiative to pay their tributes to the martyred soldiers.

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“It is a big responsibility of the residents of the bordering villages to protect the country shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers on the border. Therefore, a wall has been dedicated to the martyrs and their names have been written on it to immortalise them forever. Along with this, we have made other paintings on the wall to teach the dragon a lesson,” said Rawat.

Basanti Negi, former president of Harsil gram sabha said the villagers have always supported the armed forces.

“The way China is behaving is not right, we stand with our armed forces in this situation. We will do everything possible to teach China a lesson,” said Negi.

Ajay Puri, an Uttarkashi-based social activist said that this is a very inspiring initiative undertaken by the vigilant guards of the border village.

“With this initiative, homage has been paid to our soldiers and the residents of the bordering villages have set an example in front of the country by standing by the forces in such times,” said Puri.