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CARE TODAY: LEST WE FORGET
MANISH KUMAR
17 Jat Regiment
 When
splinters from a shell slashed his spinal cord in Mushkoh Valley, Kumar
thought it was all over. He was paralysed below the waist but has amazingly
recovered enough to drive a car. CARE TODAY built a toilet at his house
in Bhiwani, Haryana, and purchased a tractor, which he hires out and earns
enough for his and his dependent brother's financial security.
YOGESH PAWAR
6 Maratha Light Infantry
 Pawar,
who was shot in the hip and thighs and suffered shrapnel wounds in the
abdomen in Jammu and Kashmir, is doing well. He has got all his dues from
the army, plus a rehabilitation package from the Maharashtra Government.
He is employed at an ex-servicemen's training and production centre. The
tractor that CARE TODAY bought for him in October last year has earned
him about Rs 70,000. He is looking forward to marriage now.
LOK BAHADUR LAMA
4/3 Gorkha Rifles
 Despite
initial difficulties in relocating from his remote home in the mountains,
Lama has settled down to a comfortable life in Chitwan, Nepal. He has
built an impressive house on land bought with CARE TODAY's support and
hopes to set up a computer institute after undertaking a course himself.
 GURDEEP
SINGH
8 J&K Light Infantry
A grenade blast at Poonch in May 1999 blinded
him and injured his legs. But Singh has taken his problems with rare equanimity.
CARE TODAY helped him buy a plot for a house closer to town in Nowshera,
J&K, and he plans to start construction soon. He has received his
army dues as well as his pension. The soon-to-be father's only worry now
is good education for his children.
ASHIQ HUSSAIN KHAN
12 J&K Light Infantry
 It
is not easy for an ex-soldier of the Indian Army to live in Kupwara. But
Khan, who lost his left eye and right hand during enemy shelling in Batalik
in June 1999, has coped well with his adversity. CARE TODAY bought him
a Tata 407 chassis which he has converted into a minibus that does good
business.
DILIP SINGH
18 Grenadiers
 The
ex-Naik is on the road to complete rehabilitation. He has got all the
benefits due to him, including those from the Himachal Pradesh Government.
He lost his left hand, left eye and damaged his jaw at Tololing but is
today a happily married man expecting his first child. He works at the
subdivisional magistrate's office at Rajghat, close to the house he rebuilt
with CARE TODAY's help at Garari in Sirmour district.
KARAMVEER SINGH
18 Grenadiers
 The
loss of his right arm at tololing in June 1999 filled the father of four
with anxiety about the future. But by buying him a Mahindra Bolero for
use as a taxi, CARE TODAY facilitated a steady income. Singh frets about
sitting idle at home in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. ONGC has offered him a job.
JANBIR SINGH
118 Field Workshop
 A
little over a year after he lost his right hand and sustained injuries
on his leg and hip when a shell hit his truck in May 1999, Singh was discharged
from the army. Strapped for funds, he was tense and anxious. The fervour
over Kargil had diminished and he found little support. It was at such
a time that CARE TODAY bought him a plot of land and helped him build
a house. Today he is a man at peace, having received most of his dues
from the army and reconciled to the loss of his hand. He plans to start
looking for a job soon.
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