Uttarakhand as we all know has been in a disturbing state of gloom ever since flash floods and landslides hit the region a couple of days back. The only significant ray of sunshine has come from the brave men in uniform, from the Indian Air force and Army teams who have been working relentlessly to rescue the stranded people from the Char Dham Yatra areas. And such has been the illumination of these rays that a no-poet like me was moved enough to pen down this one. Read on...

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O Brave Jawan, I salute you!
Your works of bravery kindle my hopes anew.
No fear, no wrath, no terrain seems to be stopping you.
You are rocketing ahead like a bullet clear of all blues.

Efforts by the Indian Army men in the floods of Uttarakhand region of Kedarnath

Army Jawans skip their own meals to help the flood victims.

O Brave Jawan, I salute you!
For our safety, we are indebted and owe you our dues.
You endure hardships, you face the dangers,
And beam when you see the joy on the face of a worried mother or unite 2 lovers.

A mother unites with her son in Uttarakhand floods
"I will never forget how these jawans have served us, better than our own relatives could have," ~ A survivor.

O Brave Jawan, I salute you!
By calling it all a call of duty,
You give us a sneak peek into your humility.
Actions pure with no hidden malice,
I rather choose to call it the highest form of self sacrifice!

Saving a woman - Indian Army Rescue in Uttarakhand floods
"Yeh kaam hamare ghar ka hai, duty ka nahin (The rescue work we are doing is personal work for us and not a part of official duty)" ~ An Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawan.

O Brave Jawan, I salute you!
To the fury of nature, you proved strong and daunting too.
She tore the buildings, you built the bridge,
She burst the clouds; you passed the trapped, rice and porridge.
At a time when she has hollered and left us in spirits gloomy and tense,
You have taken on the battle and fought her back with sturdy physical and mental resilience.

Building of a bridge by Indian army in Kedarnath floods, Uttarakhand

Army Jawans built a human bridge
to help victims cross where bridges collapsed.

O Brave Jawan, I salute you!
I feel proud of all the work that you do.
To all those who say superheroes are the likes of Superman and Spiderman,
I want to tell them, 'Hey! You aint seen anything yet,

Someday you should meet My Indian Army and Air Force Jawan,

Indian Army Jawan - Pencil sketch

A Brave heart to the core, HE is my hero and I am HIS fan!

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Since this is one of my one-off poetry pieces, written in a rare moment of stimulation... for the immense pride I have been feeling on reading all about the Indian Army and Air Force Commandos over the past few days... kindly excuse me and ignore all grammatical and other poetical mistakes, if any. While I salute the brave men, I also pray to God to give strength to all those who have lost their near and dear ones to bear this irreparable loss. Let us all do whatever we can!

 Helpful links and contact numbers for Uttarakhand Flood Crisis:

 Mobile tracking: To get location details of your loved ones stranded in Uttarakhand, try these helpline numbers: 9818003057, 9958976317.

 Indian Army's website providing updates on the location of stranded people in Uttarakhand, list of rescued people, helpline numbers and more: http://suryahopes.in/

 Searchable database of survivors from govt. records: http://aamjanata.com/official-data-released-uttarakhand-flood-crisis/

 Google crisis map that shows relief camps, medical centres, drop off centres etc. http://google.org/crisismap/2013-uttrakhand-floods?gl=in

 Give and share information to help the people in flood-hit Uttarakhand: https://www.facebook.com/helputtarakhandonline