A fighter pilot now hors de combat, my heart goes out to Harshan’s parents and brothers. Gallantry gongs and posthumous solatia are all very well but these are scant consolation to the bereaved. Our nation needs to do more to support the families of those who lay down their lives to preserve India’s integrity. How can we ensure they never vanish from the nation’s focus? Can’t the accounts of their valour go into the textbooks to inspire schoolkids?

Our print and visual media are always thick with the shenanigans of self-seekers of all hues. Can’t the media set aside a tad of prime space for the martyrs instead of relegating their selfless sacrifice as fillers? The Indian Express was instrumental in founding war memorials at Pune and Chandigarh, and has lingered foursquare behind the soldier. Maybe it can begin by carrying fitting obituaries of every martyr on its front page.

The writer is at the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre, Khadki