What never dies lives… The karaoke night celebration at Naugaon BSF mess inspired a young soldier to sing the song “chalte chalte mere yeh geet yaad rakhna, kabhi alvida na kahna” and God willed it as his last.
The dawn arrived for the world but not for me- darkness prevailed. My world fell apart with just a phone call.
I felt as if I was standing amidst an endless onslaught of storm with dust, stones and twigs being hurled at me, striking my face and hurting my being – I was defenseless.
I, Sonali Sharma, lost my husband to the nation, a serving BSF officer after hearing this news which devastated my world.
In shock and grief, and gripped with fear for a seemingly endless period, Self-reflecting, I realized the principle of Impermanence of life. At this moment it dawned upon me, what never dies within me is Anil –my soulmate. I could now understand that the only way to live Anil in my daily life, was to feel him in the rhythm of Dance steps……………………
Now I realized that Anil had fought out his battle victoriously but mine had just begun. In that crucial moment, challenging my own grief I could relate to the plight of other war widows. The day I rose to my higher self, I vowed to work for the upliftment of this underprivileged section of our society personally termed by me-Veeranganas , Bharat ki Veerangana.
The sole idea behind this movement is to ensure that the Veeranganas receive heart-felt respect from the society and nation at large and their aspirations to move forward towards a dignified life free from social stigmas.
Through the Dance-Drama performance, we make a plea to the Civil Society to not only understand but also cherish the role of these “Bharat Ki Veeranganas”, the ‘ever-victorious’ women. Art & Rhythm Foundation makes an appeal – Let us together, as brothers & sisters, arise to address the social issues which hamper the growth of our beloved India, for which numerous soldiers and their families have made the supreme sacrifice. It starts with us, it starts with me. Hereby, I arise!!!