“A soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” - General Douglas MacArthur

The foundations of any noteworthy county, more often than not, are reinforced by the blood and sweat of its soldiers. Our great nation is no different. Our armed forces are renowned for their bravery, courage and commitment which have been on display on umpteen occasions, both in the war and in the peace. We often hear about their exploits through various mass communication and social media, but unless we have a close relative or friend in the armed forces, do we ever really make an attempt to feel what a soldier feels.

A soldier has no illusions of being a superhero. He knows that he is probably as ordinary or as special as us-civilians. All that he probably wants is, for the society at large to acknowledge him as one of its own and not someone to be remembered only in the times of war or natural calamities. A soldier who serves the nation and puts his life in harm's way, needs to know that if something happens to him, his family will be taken care of. That's the bond our society should have with armed forces and their families.

Napoleon Bonaparte was not wrong when he said that “a soldier fights long and hard for nothing more than a bit of colored ribbon.” “One for all, all for one” platform is a small initiative by Atharva Foundation to give the unsung soldiers their due, on 31st January 2018 at NSCI dome Worli, 6:30 pm onwards. Mind you, the soldiers do not demand it. It is something that the society owes to them.

Prof. Nida Parkar
Atharva College of Engineering