Rajouri, Sept 22: Veteran actor Nana Patekar became misty-eyed while meeting the victims of Pakistani shelling here on Monday, as he distributed among them relief material to help them get back up.
Patekar was representing his NGO, Nirmala Gajanan Foundation, and visited the residents of border areas in Poonch and Rajouri districts who bore the brunt of Pakistan’s retaliation during Operation Sindoor in May.
The actor, who played the role of an army major in the film Prahaar, said he was personally sponsoring the education of an 11-year-old girl who lost her father, Amreek Singh, in shelling in Poonch.
In all, Patekar distributed Rs 42 lakh in aid to 117 families, who either lost a member or suffered house damage between May 7 and 10.
Operation Sindoor was launched with the Indian armed forces launching missile strikes to destroy terror infrastructure in Pakistan.
The strikes were made in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead.
At least 28 people were killed in retaliatory shelling, missile strikes, and drone attacks by Pakistani forces along the Line of Control.
“It is a small contribution for the families who are our own and suffered only because they are living on the borders. We want to convey a message to them that they are not alone,” said Patekar, who was flanked by General Officer Commanding of 25th Infantry Division Maj Gen Kaushik Mukherjee and Deputy Commissioner Rajouri Abhishek Sharma.
“It is our responsibility to come forward and adopt at least one such family … We should not always rely on the government, which is doing whatever it can,” Patekar told reporters at Rajouri Garrison.
The actor also named Amitabh Bachchan and Johnny Lever as fellow philanthropists from the film industry.
“I am just a face in the front. It is just a beginning, and we will continue such efforts,” he said.
Patekar said that though he is visiting Rajouri for the first time, he did his bit in the 1999 Kargil war and performed duties in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, visiting even forward areas guarded by the BSF.
The 74-year-old Padma Shri awardee said his NGO has adopted 48 army goodwill schools – 28 in Kashmir, seven in Ladakh and the rest in Jammu to improve education standards and infrastructure.
Asked whether his NGO was planning to set up a hospital for border residents, he said it is very easy to establish a facility but difficult to maintain it.
On the poorly maintained Jammu-Poonch National Highway, he said, “I will take up this issue with the concerned quarters in Delhi for its immediate upkeep to provide better facilities to the border residents.”
Maj Gen Mukherjee lauded the actor for his generous dole.
“We are grateful to the NGO for standing up to extend a helping hand to the victims’ families,” he said.
