Veergatha series books to introduce children to Indian war heroes

Children would now get to know about Independent India's 'Param Vir' war heroes through the Veergatha series of illustrated books published by National Book Trust.

The books, embellished with illustrations along with the text, introduce the readers to the war heroes in a lucid and attractive manner.

The first set of five books in English and Hindi would be released by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi on Monday as part of Republic Day celebrations, an official statement said.

Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani will preside over the function while Army Chief General Dalbir Singh will also be present on the occasion.

The five books, to be released on the occasion, illustrate the bravery saga of the Param Vir Chakra awardees, who include Major Somnath Sharma (1947 India-Pakistan war), Major Shaitan Singh (1962 India-China war), Havildar Abdul Hamid (1965 India-Pakistan war), Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (1971 Bangladesh liberation war) and Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey (1999 Kargil war).

The books have been developed with the support of the ministries of defence and human resource development.

All the five scripts have been prepared by Gaurav Sawant and illustrated by Fajruddin, Dheeraj Bhatia, Animesh Debnath, Nipen Bhuyan and Samudra Kajal Saikia.

The Veergatha series seeks to introduce the great acts of bravery of the Param Vir Chakra awardees to instil a sense of inspiration and patriotism in children at an early age.

The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy.