General Bipin Rawat, who served as the Indian Army chief before being named the CDS, and his wife were among 13 people killed when an Indian Air Force helicopter crashed in Tamil Nadu. Since the news of his tragic chopper crash broke, tributes have been pouring in from all quarters. One which especially captured attention on social media was that from a humble cobbler spotted near a pavement near Navrangpura police station in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Yes i definately come from two India, one where a roadside shoemaker pays tribute to late CDS with his hard earn money and second where some anti national elements rejoice demise of CDS. My brother @Nagetive_Jordan spotted this on a footpath near navrangpura police station(1/2) pic.twitter.com/ALnM1ilpof
— आंगिरस (@righteous_monk_) December 9, 2021
A Twitter user going by the handle @righteous_monk_ shared a picture of a cobbler from the streets of Ahmedabad. He was seen sitting on the footpath mending shoes. Beside his makeshift shop, he had placed CDS Bipin Rawat’s picture on a chair covered with a piece of saffron cloth. A garland was put around the General’s picture. In front of his picture, the cobbler had placed some flowers and agarbattis (incense sticks) to pay tribute to the fallen soldier.
According to the Twitter user, his brother noticed this and asked the cobbler how much he had spent because he wanted to pay for it, but the shoemaker refused and replied in Gujarati, “I earn enough that I can spend a bit for my countrymen.”
This heartfelt gesture of the cobbler received a lot of appreciation on social media.
On one hand, there are people like these, who are exhibiting their love for the country by carrying out such small but unfeigned gestures, and on the other hand, there are a bunch of Islamists and the so-called ‘elite’ who have been unable to hide their glee over the death of CDS Bipin Rawat.
In fact, even at the time when there was no confirmation on the condition of the helicopter passengers or the number of injured or dead, many individuals, some ex-Army officers like Panag, another Col Baljit Bakshi, National Herald editor Ashlin Matthew, and others had posted brazen and insensitive tweets over the tragic demise of Gen Rawat and others in the chopper accident.
When the tragedy occurred, General Rawat was on his way to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington to address the professors and students. The chopper crashed shortly after taking off from the Air Force facility in Sulur, Coimbatore at 11.45 am on Wednesday, December 8. In another few minutes, it would have landed.
According to reports, around noon today, a plane with General Rawat’s body will take off for the national capital from Sulur airbase in Tamil Nadu. The military plane is scheduled to land in Delhi’s Air Force Technical Airport around 4 pm. The body will then be taken to Army Hospital in Dhaula Kuan.
The mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife Madhulika will be taken to their official residence on 3, Kamaraj Marg at 11 am on Friday. Around 2 pm, the military bands of all three services will escort the bodies to Brar crematorium in Dhaula Kuan. The funeral is scheduled for 4 pm. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had announced in the parliament today that the CDS will be cremated with full military honour.
