Mumbai trio in Jammu to hoist Indian flag

Security personnel during a lockdown in Srinagar on August 14. Pic/AFP

It is Mumbai to Jammu for Sunil Rane, founder of a city-based non-profit organisation named Atharva Foundation, this Independence Day. Rane will be in Jammu to participate in the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Samba border with special military permission. Rane, who is also general secretary at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mumbai, is joined by his cousin Deepak Rane and a member of Atharva Foundation, professor Balaji Shinde.

"I think we are the only three Mumbaikars travelling to J&K in these tumultuous though triumphant times," said Rane on Tuesday evening, hours before the trio's Wednesday morning flight to Jammu. Rane said, "We will first go to the Jammu and Kashmir Sainik Welfare Board in Samba. We are also scheduled to travel to Nowshera, Udhampur, Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama. We will be criss-crossing the Union Territory."

Sunil Rane

So special

Rane said, "We will attend the flag-hoisting ceremony on Independence Day at Samba. Students will be present from the village school besides military personnel and their families. It is always soul-stirring to see the tricolour unfurl, but this time, it is going to be extra special." Samba is located in the Shivalik Hills on the banks of the Basantar River, at a distance of 40 km from the city of Jammu. Rane and his compatriots added, "Our visit is not just for I-Day flag hoisting. We have a mission. The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has given us several laptops which we are going to donate to the daughters of martyrs or soldiers grievously incapacitated in action in J&K.

In this way, we are taking the Port Trust's initiative of bridging the digital divide further." Since the past few months the Port Trust has started a scheme of donating laptops to the daughters of martyrs across the country. These martyrs could have been killed in various operations across India from fighting Maoists to terrorists. They have 100 laptops for donation out of which approximately 20 have been donated. Rane and Co. said, "We are carrying at least 10 for the daughters of martyrs in J&K."

Also Read: 40,000 cops on roads keeping Mumbai safe on Independence Day

Historical moment

For the trio there is no question about 'imposing patriotism', as some critics of the scrapping of Article 370 have stated. "This is a positive development and let us see the sentiment of the people before passing sweeping judgements," they said. Rane added, "It may be very fashionable to find fault with every single thing, but at times we need to believe the government. Let us see what happens going ahead." When it was pointed out that giving laptops and talking about digital divides at a time when there is no internet in the region seemed ironical, Rane claimed, "Eventually there will be change, there will be connectivity and the lockdown will be lifted."

For the trio, going incommunicado to the rest of the world since J&K is in lockdown is not daunting. They said, "We have full confidence in our security forces. It is exciting and breathtaking to be part of history. We hope to be back with honest accounts about J&K, an immediate aftermath of the change in status, and are so proud to be part of a historical, incredibly exciting moment."

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