He said he would gladly die for the nation, but he died very young: Subramaniam’s wife

MADURAI

: “He said he would be happy to die for the nation. But he died very young. We have been married for just 17 months,” said Krishnaveni, widow of CRPF jawan Subramaniam who was among the personnel killed in Thursday’s

suicide attack

in Pulwama, Kashmir.


Savalapperi village near Kovilpatti in Tuticorin district, where the 28-year-old jawan hails from, is in mourning since Friday morning as messages of the death were circulated on social media. Until afternoon the family was in denial mode.

“We still believe he is alive,” his father V Ganapathi told TOI over the phone. “That (he died) is what they (fellow villagers) are telling me. But if it is true we would have first got the information from the CRPF. At one point the family got annoyed when journalists swarmed the house.

Meanwhile, the family got worried when Subramaniam could not be reached over the phone. “The auto recorded voice said the phone is switched off,” Krishnaveni told reporters in the afternoon. Their worst fears were confirmed when police and revenue officials shared the chief minister’s condolence message and announcement of Rs 20 lakh solatium to the family.

Subramanian was the youngest of four children of Ganapathi, a farmer, and Maruthammal. “From a very young age it was his desire to join the police, army or any other uniformed service and serve the country,” Ganapathi said. After schooling and completing ITI training he attended the section camp and joined the CRPF five years ago. He started his career in the force at Uttar Pradesh and has served in Chennai and Kashmir.

About 18 months ago Subramanian married Krishnaveni. While she stayed with his parents, he used to visit the family every few months. He had come during Pongal and was home till February 10. During that period, he got his father admitted in a hospital in Tirunelveli for an eye surgery. In his father’s absence Subramanian looked after the farm.

Villagers said he was soft spoken and patriotic. He used to motivate youth of his village to join the armed forces and serve the nation. They recalled that during his last visit, he united two groups of tussling youths and gave an elaborate speech on staying united.

“If you don’t stay together, how will the nation be united?” they quoted him telling the youth. After he returned to duty, he was constantly in touch with the family over the phone.

Krishnaveni said their last conversation was around 2 pm on Thursday, shortly before the suicide attack blew his convoy to pieces. “He said that he was on his way to deployment. I asked him if he had eaten, to which he said they had packed their food and would eat once they reach their destination. He said he would call me after reaching the destination,” she said.

Susheela his elementary school teacher said Subramanian was a very active boy. “Even after so many years later, he would always greet me and talk respectfully,” she said. Students of the school paid a silent tribute to the fallen soldier.


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