Army Goodwill School Wuzoor bags 1st Major Purushottam trophy

The inaugural Major Purushottam trophy, for spreading goodwill among the masses, was today awarded to Army Goodwill School Wuzoor of Kashmir's Anantnag district.
On Sunday, the Army had instituted the award in the memory of Major P Purushottam, whose presence of mind and courage had saved three Kashmiri journalists from certain death during the only suicide attack on Badamibagh cantonment here in 1999.
The trophy was presented by Major's wife Lt Col (retd) Valsa Purushottam and Lt Gen Subrata Saha, Commander of 15 corps.
Lt Gen Saha told Major Purushottam's wife the award was a "humble recognition of what your great husband did for all of us".

"The mere fact that you have taken so much of trouble to travel all this distance and come over here, if nothing else, it is a great act of encouragement that you are giving to us in a very humble recognition of what your great husband did for all of us. We salute your bravery for having lived through the crisis and taking yourself and your family to where you are," he said.
He said Major Purushottam could be amongst the finest messengers of goodwill of the army in Kashmir and beyond.

"That probably gives you the reason as to why we have chosen to relate his message of goodwill to the goodwill schools," he said.

Major Purushottam's wife said she was highly honoured with the army's gesture.
"I am greatly privileged, highly honoured and deeply moved by this gesture," she said with moist eyes.
The award will be given each year to one of the 30 'Army Goowill School' run by the 15 Corps in the Kashmir Valley which has performed best in spreading goodwill among the masses.
Major Purushottam, who was the public relations officer during the Kargil conflict, was in his office when the Lashkar-e-Toiba's 'fidayeen' squad stormed the Badamibagh cantonment in Srinagar on November 3, 1999.
The Major, face of the Army during the conflict, was with three journalists--S Tariq, Fayaz Ahmed and Habib Naqash- when the militants barged in, firing a hail of bullets.

Purushottam, without caring for his own safety, pushed the journalists and a personnel from his unit into the washroom attached to his office.
Firing indiscriminately, the marauders entered the Major's room and, when they had left, Purushottam and seven members of his staff lay dead. All three journalists had, however, cheated death, courtesy a quick-thinking Purushottam.