This Independence Day, We Invite You To Write A Letter To Indian Soldiers

JK Paper & The Quint have come together for 'Sandesh to Soldiers', so that you can write to our brave jawaans.

We’re approaching our 76th Independence Day, and there’s a pretty good chance you might sense some extra patriotism in the air. Tributes will flow through for the countless martyrs who have laid down their lives for this country. And rightly so - such sacrifices should never be forgotten.

So, here’s something to think about - do you think when it comes to Indian soldiers, we mostly think about them or pay tribute to them after they’ve passed away? Surely the bravehearts who are serving in frontier regions and other volatile border areas - they too could use some support and love from us, especially during this time of patriotic fervor. Right?

As we celebrate 75 years of being a free nation, we had to do something special. JK Paper and The Quint teamed up and started an initiative called ‘Sandesh to Soldiers’, where for the first time ever, you can read the final letters written by Indian soldiers to their loved ones.

We’ve curated these letters over the last few years, so as to ensure their names are etched in history and in people’s minds. When you read these letters, and you see how these soldiers talk about everyday life to their families, it really hits you, that these were ordinary men who ended up doing extraordinary things.

Here are some excerpts from some of the letters on the 'Sandesh to Soldiers' site.

I am writing you this letter from point 5140 (at Tololing) which you might be hearing about every day in the news. Yeah, you will be proud to know that we have captured it.

Capt. Vikram Batra, in his letter to his brother, Kush

Write to me whenever you find the chance. Make sure to enroll Neha into tuition classes.

Maj. Chandra Bhushan Dwivedi, in his letter to his wife, Bhawna

Take care of your health as well as manam's. Don't worry and lose sleep. Tell a story a day from The Mahabharata to Charu, so that your grandchild imbibes good values.

Maj. Padmapani Acharya, in his letter to his father

Peripauna to mumma. Tell her: With her blessings, I am doing well in this place.

Capt. Saurabh Kalia, in his letter to his parents

I have no regrets. In fact, even if I become a human again, I'll join the Army and fight for my Nation.

Capt. Vijayant Thapar, writing to his family

But that’s not all.

The site we’ve created for this, where you can read these letters, also lets you write your own ‘Sandesh to Soldiers’.

So if there’s something you’d want our soldiers to know, from you to them, we encourage you to put your feelings into words, and write your letter to them. The site will feature the letters our readers have written, and we’ll also print these letters and do our best to send some of these to the soldiers on active duty.

Borders can be isolating for many who are posted there, but knowing that they have your love and your support could mean the world to them. So if you wish pen a note of gratitude to our soldiers, we highly encourage you do go ahead and write one here.

So how about it, dear reader - want to make this independence day special by bringing some joy to our soldiers?