Students interact with Army veterans at Veer Gatha 2024
Times of India | 12 November 2024
12 Kolkata: Advanced military equipment and weaponry were on display for school students, NCC cadets and civil-military dignitaries as part of the Veer Gatha 2024 – a joint initiative of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of Education (MoE) – at Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata. The event, attended by six veteran defence personnel, concluded on Monday.
"Representatives from all three services — Army, Navy, and Air Force — participated in the programme, demonstrating the unified strength of India's defence forces," said a defence spokesperson in Kolkata. The chief guest was Major General Rajesh Arun Moghe, general officer commanding, the Bengal Sub Area.
The veterans included Colonel Mahesh Kumar, who earned a Kirti Chakra in 2013 for his leadership in counter-terrorism operations, Colonel Mitali Madhumita, the first woman officer to receive the Sena Medal (Gallantry), Lieutenant Colonel Anila Khatri, the first woman paratrooper of the Indian Army's Air Defence Regiment, Subedar Solairaj Dharmaraj, a soldier turned paralympian who took up sports after losing a leg in 2018, Lieutenant Colonel Mrityunjay Kumar, a naval officer who earned a Shaurya Chakra in 2022 for leading anti-terror operations in Kashmir, and Wing Commander Vishal Lakhesh, an IAF test parachute jumper and skydiving expert with over 2,000 jumps.