Early Times Report
POONCH, Nov 24: It was a cold Sunday afternoon at ALG Surankote, once notoriously known for its 'Khooni Nala' in the years of militancy, when 23 girl students from the Surankote and Poonch Degree Colleges finally arrived home with a bagful of amazing memories and an experience of a lifetime. These girls, from remote villages of Surankote, Mandi and Poonch had been on a dream tour of Southern India. Organised by one of the Rashtriya Rifles battalions under the aegis of Romeo Force, this 16-day tour, packed to the hilt with sightseeing, interactions and knowledge building activities, created invaluable moments for all the young students. The students visited Bangalore, Kanyakumari, Mysore, Ooty, Thiruvananthapuram and the national capital, New Delhi. Among the many wonderful people they interacted with, the girls had the privilege to meet Sonia Gandhi, Mohammad Azharuddin, Syed Kirmani, Anil Kumble and the Princess of Travancore. For the girls, meeting other students from colleges at and Ooty Thiruvananthapuram and sharing their culture, values and dreams was truly the high point of the tour.
The 23 girls have homes high up in the mountains, at a two to three hour walking distance from Surankote. After a brief flagging-in ceremony in the evening, their parents were eager to go home before nightfall. But the girls were reluctant, none wanted to leave and say good bye. They all wanted to live and relive their dream tour. "I have truly undergone a badlav (transformation)", says Tazeem Akhter from Hari Marhot. "I have never been treated this well ever in my life. Wherever we went everyone in the Army treated us with respect, dignity and care like we were their own children. I have grown up seeing the Army patrolling my village and nearby villages. For some reason, I was slightly scared of the Army. But today, my fear has gone and gone forever. It touched our hearts that the Rashtriya Rifles personnel accompanying us were making us more comfortable even at the cost of their"I would say that the best moment of my tour was meeting Mrs Sonia Gandhi," said Nazia Akhther from Kallar Khattal. "Mrs Sonia Gandhi spent 30 minutes with us despite her busy schedule. She enquired about our villages, studies and problems. I was deeply touched by her warmth, hospitality and concern for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. I still cannot believe that the third most powerful woman of the world so magnanimously accepted our request to meet her. I invited her to Surankote and I was really thrilled when she told me that she would consider my request seriously." Back in Surankote, darkness was setting in fast and the girls had to finally say goodbye with teary eyes. They were tired after their journey of 16 days yet their faces gleamed with hope. Their fears have been replaced by hope, hope for a better tomorrow. |
