Author: Saikat Dutta, Pune
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: May 26, 2002
Introduction: War, no war? All I
can say I that people will die
He has become an icon in Pingori
village. And as for his family, they may have improved economically, courtesy
the compensation package given by the Centre and State governments, but
an emptiness grips their hearts.
As war clouds gather once again,
Shankar Rajaram Shinde's wife, Chaya says: "If there is a war, people will
die once again. Is it worth it?"
Shankar died just two days after
his birthday. Born into a farming family in 1965, he joined the army at
the age of 18 years.
Eighty-year-old Rajaram, Shankar's
father, remembers the hard times which forced his son to join the army.
"We didn't have anything to eat and Shankar didn't get a job for almost
two years. So he joined the army."
Shankar's son, Ranjeet, wants to
join the army "to get back against Pakistan." But his mother is not too
keen about the idea. "How can I say whether there should be a war or not.
More people will die and there will be more bereaved families like ours
then," she says.
