Five of them having themselves suffered on the personal front, after they were relieved from the Army due to disability, they could understand the need to help a disabled soldier and so lent a helping hand towards their brethren, injured in the Kargil action. They all say in a chorus that intense financial crunch and no other aid except the meagre pension and a paan kiosk, took a toll on their young wives and children and they have ever since lived a hand-to-mouth existence.

These six former jawans felt motivated that someone at last had thought of creating a fund for people like them. Among the six former jawans, who have shown this magnanimous gesture, is Lance Naik Tukaram Gangaram Jadhav, of the 4, MarathaLight Infantry (MLI), who lost both his hands and an eye; and whom The Indian Express had highlighted in their columns today. He was compelled to shut his paan kiosk, four months back due to intense crunch.

Imagagine his concern - he too donated Rs 201. The others include Havaladar Shripati Arjun Patil, of the 19, MLI, who lost his left leg; Havaldar Major Ramchandra Shinde of the 20, MLI, who lost his left leg; Company Havaldar Major Krishna Sawant of the 19, MLI; Sepoy G K Pillai of the Army Supply Core who also lost his left leg; and Sepoy Krishna Shinde of the 19, MLI who had severe injuries on his back due to splinters that pierced into his skin during a mine blast.

What inspired Sawant to donate to the cause is the tragic tale behind the life of a jawan after being disabled. Says he, ``I was in the hospital for more than a year and my son was just one year old then. My wife had a trying time, coping with day-to-day life with meagre money. And ever since, jawans like us are asked to be content withthe measly pension and a roadside stall. There is no facility whatsoever for our children's education or an assured career. We become inconspicuous citizens of the country, he adds.''States Havaldar Shinde, ``Although I can't afford to give any kind of donations, I was deeply moved by the fact that somebody had thought of a disabled soldier. I know what the family members go through.''