Bidding the final goodbye to her martyred soldier son Naib Subedar Satnam Singh, Kashmir Kaur shouldered his tricolour-wrapped coffin on his final journey. A 65-year-old Kashmir and Singh’s 19-year-old daughter Sandeep Kaur carried the coffin on their shoulder when his mortal remains reached Gurdaspur’s Bhojraj village. While women, generally, are not a part of the pallbearers, this mother walked with the coffin from her house to the cremation ground. Four soldiers from Punjab were among those martyred in Ladakh’s Galwan valley recently.
In India, typically it is only the male family members who are part of a funeral procession. Kashmir said she is proud of her son who sacrificed his life and that the country needs more soldiers like him. “My son has sacrificed his life for the country. This is the least I could do for him. Guru Gobind Singh ji’s Chaar Sahibzade (four sons) were martyred, I have given one for the country,” said the grieving mother who paid tribute to her son who died fighting alongside twenty Indian Army soldiers in the recent clash The Indian Express reported.
What You Should Know
- Naib Subedar Satnam Singh was cremated on Thursday with full military honours in Punjab.
- Singh's mother, Kashmir Kaur, walked with her martyred son’s coffin to the cremation site.
- Kashmir Kaur and Singh’s 19-year-old daughter Sandeep Kaur carried the coffin on their shoulders.
In the soldier's honour, the crowd hailed the slogan,“Shaheed di bahadur mata zindabad, Shaheed di bahadur mata zindabad. (Salute to martyr's brave mother).”
Read Also: Feisty Women Who Lit The Pyre For Their Parents
‘He has died for the country’
“He always wanted to die after doing something for the country. So many people die every day, but he has died for the country. He has gone after making us proud,” said Kashmir Kaur, who never went to school.
Her other son, Sukhchain Singh who also serves in the Army, said, “She is the strength of our family. She follows Sri Guru Granth Sahib’s teachings and that is why she did not think twice before giving shoulder to my brother’s coffin. She also helps my father in the fields. She is an iron lady whose strength has kept our family together in this tough time. We are so proud of her…Such big heart that she hid her tears and displayed this courage. No one can understand her pain of losing a son she raised but she is proud.. Our father is also proud of her.”
Social media is loving a pallbearer mother
Another video of a mother leading her son’s funeral procession last year was later widely shared on social media. Palwinder Kaur, the mother of Lance Naik Rajinder Singh, 26, from village Pabbarali Kalan of Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur, had also seen giving a shoulder to his coffin and raising slogans.
Twenty brave Indian soldiers lost their lives in the Galwan valley incident.
Feature Image Credit: Indian Express
Read More Stories By Ria Das
/shethepeople/media/agency_attachments/iUYfaBbcMozaYLoGnoov.png)
Follow Us/shethepeople/media/post_banners/uuTSYuXCFaVa54e19sQs.jpg)