As the haunting strains of the Last Call filled the morning air, more than 50 villagers joined the Army and the police in a touching salute. In their pyjamas and dhotis, heads covered by the pagdi, they stood ramrod straight, right elbow bent, hands touching the forehead. Many of them were ex-soldiers. With a large tribal population, almost every family in Vijaynagar taluka boasts of at least one man in the forces.

Shailesh, who had served the Army for more than three years, lost his life on June 30 when 1 Bihar, the regiment he was posted to, participated in a dangerous mission to evict Pakistani infiltrators at Batalik. He was the only one from his regiment to lose his life in that operation, said Sepoy S S Bari, fellow soldier and friend, who, with red-rimmed eyes, lent a shoulder to the martyr on his last journey.

Shailesh is survived by his grandmother, parents, two elder brothers Ramesh and Dinesh, younger brother Kanti and sister Hansa. The pyre was lit by Dinesh. His other two brothers tried to hold back their tears, but Shailesh's father, mother and sister could not.

The crowds had started collecting since Saturday night when Shailesh's body was brought home by the Army. Overnight, a mud road was built to his house that stands alone atop a hillock and generators were used to light up and facilitate the path of the truck that brought his coffin home. As morning came, trucks and jeeps loaded with villagers from other parts of the district started arriving at his house, a place that has assumed the status of a pilgrimage site.

Within hours, the hills were covered with men, women and children, some of whom had walked for more than an hour to reach the place.

The news of their son's death was brought to the Ninamas yesterday by the Mamlatdar of Vijaynagar. Dinesh was the first to get the news in Vijaynagar, eight km from the village, where he had gone with his other brother Kanti to see off a cousin who had been recruited in the Border Security Force. At the bus stop, the brothers heard that a Shailesh of Sabarkantha had sacrificed his life for the nation. ``My first feeling was that it was not my brother as we had received no information from the Army. But I rushed to the Mamlatdar's office where I learnt that it was my brother who had died,'' said Ramesh, still in a state of shock. By the time he rushed home, his parents had already been informed.

Shailesh had last come home for Holi. ``He spent his leave ploughing the fields and then returned to his regiment,'' said Ramesh. After that, there was no communication. ``Shailesh joined the Army in 1996 after completing his XIth standard exams. He had always wanted to be a soldier. It was his wish to serve the country in uniform,'' said Kanti, his younger brother. Shailesh had already done stints in Bihar, Bhutan, Assam and Bengal before being posted to Kashmir.

Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya has presented a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to the martyr's family.