Salute to those who laid down their lives for the country

In 1920, my maternal grandfather ( Nana ji) Dr Lehna Singh Sethi was offered a  job in the British army after he finished his medical education from Agra medical college. The offer was tempting with a fat salary and attractive perks but he refused the job offer because he wanted to participate in the freedom movement. In the British raj, the medical education was free for those who joined the military service after graduation. Not only that, the new doctors were also recruited in the army. With the independence movement gaining momentum, the British govt needed to strengthen its armed forces. Those newly trained doctors who didn’t join the British govt had to reimburse the full amount of the fee to the college. Grandpa’s family hardly had any money but it was out of the question to join the British ranks. My grandma sold her jewellery so that the fee could be reimbursed to the college. During the freedom struggle, Nana ji courted arrest many times which was a matter of pride for any freedom fighter. In 1942, during the Quit India movement, when he was imprisoned in Multan jail along with other freedom fighters.  his  15yrs old daughter ( my mother’s elder sister) passed away. He was allowed to attend the funeral of his daughter only on the condition that henceforth he will shun the freedom movement  which was not acceptable to him. It was only after three years he was set free. 

At the time of partition, he was appointed as liaison officer to evacuate Hindus from Sargodha and send them safely to India. Everyday only 100 passes were issued. Early in the morning, people would start queuing up  outside the house and plead for the permit to travel, each one’s  plead more urgent than the rest. The bloodbath had already started and the Hindus wanted to leave Pakistan at the earliest. Nana ji took a vow that his own family would be the last to leave Pakistan after every single person from Sargodha had left. It was Nov 1947 when my grandma, mother and mama ji were put on the train. It was the last train to India. 

On Dec 1, 1950 grandfather passed away. People had come in thousands to pay their homage to the departed soul.  On the day of his cremation, his photographs were distributed with the following message from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister and Deputy PM of India. (Dr Lehna Singh Sethi who Lived and died in the service of homeless millions and saved them from dishonor and death)