WHAT began as an 11-year-old’s simple gesture of service towards the Indian armed forces at a remote border village during Operation Sindoor, turned into a tale that inspired the nation. Shavan Singh of Taranwali village in Punjab’s Ferozepur voluntarily served Army jawans deployed at his village along the Indo-Pak border amid heightened hostilities with Pakistan around a year ago, bringing them tea, water, milk and ‘lassi’ from his home. On the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, Shavan says he simply followed his heart. “When Operation Sindoor started, soldiers came to our village, I felt I should serve them because they were fighting for us,” he said. Carrying water, tea, and buttermilk, and an endearing smile, the young boy soon became a familiar face among the troops stationed in the village. “I never expected to be honoured for it,” the boy said.

 

His father Sona Singh said the family still finds it difficult to believe the recognition their son has received. “We are extremely thankful to the Indian Army for encouraging him and recognising his contribution. We never imagined that our son would one day receive an award from the President of India and even get an opportunity to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

 

Today, Shavan is invited to various programmes and public events, but according to his father, he remains focused on his studies and dreams of joining the armed forces in future. Shavan’s efforts in the wake of Indo-Pak tensions during Operation Sindoor garnered much recognition, when, despite hostile drone activity and threat from cross-border shelling, he continued visiting Army camps in his village to serve the troops posted on the frontline.