Col Sunil Deshpande, a fond remembrance
| Date :10-May-2019 |
By Shubha Mohgaonkar:
Col Sunil Deshpande VSM, the name itself has the power to charge you. A great soldier! A borne patriot! A die-hard Prahari!! What an eventful life he led! He was one of those few privileged soldiers, who get an opportunity to fight for the country as soon as they get commissioned in the Army. He got such an opportunity not once but twice -- in the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. I met him first way back in 2001 when my son attended the Prahar camp, which was then conducted in the premises of Hyderabad House, Civil Lines. He greeted us with a smile that was so infectious that we warmed up to him instantly. “We need to give back something to the society,” were the words he had uttered during his lecture. These were imprinted on my mind ever since.
He was a man who always led by example and kept his word when he established Prahar Samaj Jagruti Sanstha and Prahar Military School. It came as a pleasant surprise when he asked me to join the School. The Army has always fascinated me since childhood. So, I grabbed the opportunity to work with him. I learnt a lot from Col Sunil Deshpande. He always believed that one must always think out of the box to progress in life. He proved it by pioneering many ideas like Prahar Military School, the first day-boarding school in Nagpur; sending Rakhis to soldiers on the frontlines of the country to make people understand that the soldiers need to be remembered even during peace times; and honoring Ashok Chakra awardees to awaken the spirit of patriotism in the people of Nagpur.
Col Sunil Deshpande was ever ready to help any one in trouble in any way he could. Looking at his ever-energetic and positive approach, I could not stop myself from asking him how he could manage all this with equal energy and positivity, to which his immediate response was, “Shubha, Karmanyewadhikaraste ma faleshu kadachan.” My salutations to the Braveheart of the Nation. (The author is Principal, Prahar Military School, Ravi Nagar.)