Rajeev Kumar Singh/New Delhi

Wing Commander (retd) Mushtaq Ahmed Afraz lives up to the saying that a soldier is always on duty. Having served in the armed forces, Afraz has taken up the responsibility of documenting the stories of the martyrs and keeping their spirit of valour alive in the mind of public.

So far, he has collected 26,000 stories which are posted on his portal honourpoint.in. These are the soldiers and officers who laid down their lives in wars post-independence.

The Bengaluru-based Afraz says, "During my college days and job, I visited many memorials in the country. There are more than 200 memorials and almost half of them are inside the military cantonments. I would collect details of the martyrs from there."

Afraz belongs to a Military family and he was brought up in Cantonments across the country. His father was in the Army; like him, his wife was in the Indian Air Force. His brother-in-law and many close relatives were in the Armed Forces.  

He narrated a few stories about the martyrs, who would be forgotten and he made their memories come alive. Wing Commander Afraz talks about Flying Officer Farokh Dara Bunsha.

A post on the Facebook page of honourpoint.in commemorarting martyrs

Bunsha was martyred in the 1965 war. Soon his name was relegated to the pages of military history. Not many knew the poignant story of a young woman to whom Farokh Bunsha was betrothed.

After his story was posted on honourpoint.in it came up that this young woman had decided to live with his memory and never married.

Today, Farokh Bunsha's fiancée is about 75 years old. She had no connection with the family of her martyred fiancé. However, when Wing Commander MA Afraz wrote the story, their families met and befriended each other.

He says, “When the Kargil war broke out, I was in the Air Force. I closely monitored the media coverage of soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

"I noticed within two or three days, that the stories of martyrs would be shoved into inside pages and gradually people lost interest in them and even forgot their names. It made me realize there is a dire need to commemorate our martyrs."

A poster announcement prize winners of the competition held by honourpoint,in

After he retired from the IAF in 2008, he decided to turn his dream of commemorating the martyrs' memories into a reality.

He started working on his project in 2015 and launched his portal within two years.

“Collecting data was a major challenge for us. These forgotten soldiers had fought in the wars of 1947, 1962, 1965, 1971, and 1999. I focused on those who didn’t receive awards or commendations.

Back then there was no internet or a single source for us to collect information. Most of their families lived in far-flung villages.

Afraz says, "I realised that while the countrymen have expectations from our soldiers, nobody has any idea of the martyrs’ expectations from their countrymen."

Kargil War memorial at Drass, Ladakh

Besides maintaining the portal, Afraz organises gatherings of the families of martyrs with civil society members. "It's difficult to describe in words the feelings of martyrs' families when people talk about their sons. Pride and honour are important for these families and no medal or financial help can match it," he says.

The portal team posts the stories of martyrs on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram almost daily.

He says, “We are also spreading awareness offline. For example, we are continuously working on making people and students aware with the help of our association with the CSR partners from companies.

"We also organize marathons, radio, and print in memory of the martyrs.

Wg Cdr (Retd) M A Afraz

We are also connecting with people through print media and television.”

Afraz's team has been organising 'Rang De Veer' events all over India level for six years. These events held on Republic Day, Independence Day, and Kargil Divas (26 July), are attended by schools from India and abroad.

Afraz says, “Civil society should get in touch with these families. The government can only provide them with pensions and schemes. When the stories of the martyrs come to light, I have noticed that common people tend to stand up for their families who need help. For example, lawyers fight their cases for free; doctors provide free treatment.”

Another story that Afraz narrates is of Flight Lieutenant Akash Yadav of Kosli village in Rewari, Haryana. He was martyred in November 2010 at the age of 26 years.

Flight Lieutenant Akash Yadav and Flying Officer Farokh Dara Bunsha

Aakash was a helicopter pilot and his chopper crashed on the India-China border. He was the only child of his parents and they fell into mental depression after his death. Both parents felt there was nothing left for them to live for; they cut themselves off from everyone and lived like a recluse.

In 2017, M.A. Afraz's portal invited the family of Flight Lieutenant Akash Yadav to a program where the families of martyrs and members of civil society interacted.

After the function, the Yadav's father said he would now onwards live the his life positively.

He set up an organization named 'Flight Lieutenant Akash Yadav Yuva Prerana Samiti' in their village. Under its aegis, the founder moves to the villages around Kosli and motivates the youth to join the armed forces.

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