Having survived the Doda massacre in 1999 in which over a dozen of his family members were killed, one of the survivors Joginder Singh will be spearheading a literacy campaign in Chenab Valley.
Singh (24), who lost his near and dear ones in the attack 20years ago, is currently pursuing his masters in commerce in Pune.
On July 19, 1999, when the Kargil war was in its last phase,a group of heavily armed militants struck at the remote village of Lehota inDoda district, killing 15 people and injuring several others.
Singh, who grew up in an orphanage run by NGO Sarhad, wantsto go back to the conflict-stricken region and work for the people there in thefield of education.
A literacy campaign named ‘Ghar Ghar School, Har GharSchool’ will soon be launched by the same NGO that took Singh in, with him asthe chief coordinator.
“The aim behind launching the campaign is to createawareness about the significance of education in life and there could have beennone better that Joginder to spearhead it,” Sarhad’s founder president, SanjayNahar, said, adding that a school in every household of Jammu and Kashmir isthe underlying theme of the unique literacy campaign.
Giving details about the campaign, Nahar said that it wouldinitially cover Chenab Valley. “Later, we aim to cover border areas in Jammu,Kargil, Leh and other districts of the state. While noted poet, writer andlyricist Javed Akhtar has agreed in principle to support the idea, we are intouch with some other prominent personalities as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, Singh said, “Till now, I was seeking a job fromthe government but except promises and assurances, I have not receivedanything. Now, I will not ask for a job. Instead, I will work for thebetterment of Doda and adjoining regions and work towards creating educationalopportunities for children.” (with PTI inputs)