In this small Gadag village, almost every household is home to a soldier

HUBBALLI: The face-off with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the Himalayan heights has ignited the latent patriotic fervour in Hatalgeri, a small village in Gadag district, which is proud of its distinction of having at least one member of nearly every household in the Indian armed forces. In fact, a few families boast of three of their members being in the armed forces.
As of now, there are as many as 150 residents of the village serving in the Indian Army. Before the situation along the LAC escalated, 10 soldiers serving in different regiments returned home for their vacation, but they are now eagerly awaiting calls to return to action. Furthermore, two of the soldiers who returned home to tie the matrimonial knot, are contemplating deferring their wedding since they might be called to the front anytime now.
Manjunath Kurubar and Purushottam Pujar, residents of the village, said that it was the Kargil War that kindled the spirit of patriotism among the youth in the Gadag hamlet. In the aftermath of the 1999 conflict, more and more youngsters from the village started to enlist in the armed forces. “They started working on their fitness in order to meet the requirements stipulated by the armed forces. One of the soldiers from our village took a bullet when Pulwama was attacked, and resumed duty after he recovered from the injury,” they told TOI.
Satish Navalli, 23, a soldier who was on duty along the border in Rajasthan, said that his parents had summoned him home since they were planning on getting him married. “But I have decided to put these plans on hold since I might be asked to return to duty at any moment. Serving the nation comes first,” said Satish, adding that his youngest brother Bhimanna too had recently enlisted with the Indian Army, and was undergoing training in Bengaluru.
Manjunath Beleri, 26, another soldier stationed in Rajasthan, returned home to get engaged. Although the wedding was scheduled to be held soon, Beleri has asked his parents to postpone the ceremony. “During such an emergency, we need to be prepared to face any and all challenges,” he added.
NK Ananth Beleri, 31, currently serving in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, said that each child in the village wanted to grow up to become a soldier.