By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 25 August: Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi participated in the event held at Shaheed Durga Mall Park in Garhi Cantt, today, to pay tribute to Martyr Major Durga Mall. The event was organised by the Uttarakhand State Nepali Language Committee and other organizations on the occasion of the 80th death anniversary of martyr Major Durga Mall of the Azad Hind Fauj.
Joshi first paid floral tributes at the memorial and before the portrait of Major Durga Mall. During the programme, students from various schools presented patriotic and cultural performances. Joshi also felicitated the families of the World War II freedom fighters and prominent personalities.
Minister Joshi stated that Major Durga Mall was the first Gorkha soldier of the Azad Hind Fauj who sacrificed his life for India’s freedom. He recalled that Durga Mall was born on 1 July, 1913, in Doiwala near Dehradun to Gangaram Mall Chhetri, a Naib Subedar in the Gorkha Rifles, and Parvati Devi Chhetri. From a young age, Durga Mall was known for his talent and bravery. He received his early education at the Gorkha Military Middle School, now known as Gorkha Military Inter College, and played a significant role in recruiting youth into the Azad Hind Fauj. Later, he was entrusted with important tasks in the intelligence branch.
The Minister highlighted that, on 25 August 1944, Durga Mall went to the gallows with a smile in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. He praised Mall’s unwavering courage and self-sacrifice for the nation, emphasising that his legacy would always be remembered. Joshi urged people to draw inspiration from such sacrifices and called for increased participation in such events. The committee members also submitted a memorandum to him on the occasion.
Present on the occasion were Madhusudan Sharma, President of the Uttarakhand State Nepali Language Committee; Padam Thapa, President of the Gorkhali Sudhar Sabha; General Secretary Shyam Rana; PBRO President Shamser Bisht; Rajendra Mall, Ashish Sharma, OP Gurung, TD Bhutia, Bal Krishna Baral, Megh Bahadur Thapa, Uday Thakur, Acharya Krishna Prasad, Kamla Thapa, Leela Sharma, Prabha Shah, RS Thapa, Jyoti, and Sapna Mall, among others.
