Since Pulwama, This Man Has Collected Soil From Homes Of 144 Martyrs To Make Memorial For Them
The terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama on 14 February 2019 that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel was the worst loss of its kind in the country's history.
In 2020, on the first anniversary of the Pulwama terror attack, CRPF held a ceremony to pay tributes to the fallen soldiers.
It was attended by top CRPF officials and the families of the soldiers who laid down their lives for the nation.
But one man stood out - Umesh Gopinath Jadhav a resident of Bengaluru. He was neither kin of any of the soldiers killed in action nor a CRPF official.
In fact, he was the only 'guest' at the official commemoration - an honour for his selfless service towards the country's fallen heroes.
Selfless service
Jadhav, a Bengaluru-based musician had travelled across India in the year since the Pulwama terror attack and met families of all the 40 martyrs to collect soil from their houses and cremation grounds to build a memorial for them.
He had travelled over 61,000 km to collect the soil that was then placed at the memorial at CRPF's Lethpora camp.
But for Jadhav, the journey had just started and he is still on the road, travelling across India, meeting families of more families of martyrs, including those who lost their lives in the fatal Indian Air Force helicopter crash on December 8, 2021, that killed CDS Bipin Rawat.
Jadhav told Indiatimes that till now he has met families of 144 Indian Armed forces martyrs, and has collected soil from their homes to build a memorial.
This includes the war heroes of 1947, 1971, Operation Rakshak, Galwan, and 26/11. He also collected soil from Cellular Jail and flag point from Port Blair.
'Janmabhoomi karmabhoomi'
"My mission is called Janmabhoomi karmabhoomi (Respecting soils of India). It is my way of paying homage to the ultimate sacrifices they have made for our country. In the past three years, I have travelled over 1.15 lakhs kms across 28 states and 8 Union Territories to meet the families and collected soil from martyr's homes to make an "India Map" as a symbol of respect for them," Jadhav told Indiatimes.
Born in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Jadhav came to Bengaluru in 2004 and has the Karnataka capital his home since.
He is a postgraduate in Pharmacy and was a Professor of pharmacology. He is also a trained Percussionist and was running a music school in Bengaluru.
"I used to do a lot of music events for the Armed Forces and the Police Department. I never got to wear the uniform, but always loved the people in uniform and enjoyed working with them," Jadhav said.
Jadhav and his team were at a musical event in Jaipur and were returning to Bengaluru on the 14th of February, and was at the airport when he learned about the Pulwama terror attack.
"I felt like the martyrs were my own family members. So instead of posting condolence on social media, I decided to meet the family members in person. It took me some time to get the necessary permission and on 9 April 2019 CRPF DIG Sanand Kamal flagged off my road trip from GC CRPF Bangalore," he said.
In the first leg of the journey, Jadhav covered Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. He then went to Puducherry though none of the Pulwama martyrs were there and collected soil from the war memorial there.
"By the first anniversary of Pulwama terror attack, I completed more than 61,000 kilometers across India and gave the soli collected the homes of the 40 CRPF martyrs in a urn. And I was the only invited guest at the official event. I represented the 130 crore Indians there. It was great honour," he said.
"Moving experience"
According to Jadhav, meeting the families of the martyrs was a moving experience.
"It was all about the pride and pain. They were proud of the sacrifices their loved ones made, but the pain of losing them is everlasting. Another thing I learned from my meetings with the families is that more than the financial compensation, what they seek is respect. They should not be respected and remembered only on the anniversary. I told them that India stands with them and I came to them as a representative of the common citizen of India," Jadhav said.
The entire journey of Jadhav so far has been crowdfunded and with the support of his family, comprising of his wife and two young children.
"The response I have received, from including my family was positive. Even the armed forces have appreciated my initiative. Now I have collected soil from the homes and war memorials of 144 martyrs. This will be used to make a map of India, representing them and spreading the message that we are one. I will travel to Delhi in March to hand this over," Jadhav said.
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