Diwali faral for soldiers: The story behind Pune’s annual tradition that began with a Kashmir tragedy

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Pune's beloved tradition of celebrating Diwali with India's soldiers originated from a tragedy in Kashmir that inspired a community-wide tribute.

Since 1996, the city has organized initiatives to send sweets, messages, and other mementos to soldiers posted on the borders, ensuring they feel remembered during the festive season.

Sainik Mitra Parivar, a city-based organisation, started their Diwali celebration a month before by collecting sweets from NGOs and individuals to be sent to jawans at the borders.

“We appeal to schoolchildren to create messages for the soldiers that will inspire them. Our aim is to express gratitude to the soldiers during the festive season,” Anand Saraf, a retired bank officer from the city and founder of Sainik Mitra Parivar, was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

This year, the organisation collected over 1,200 kg of sweets, which were sent to soldiers posted “from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and from Bhuj to Arunachal Pradesh.” “We make boxes of three kg each to be sent to the jawans,” Saraf added.

How the tradition began

This Pune tradition, however, was born out of tragedy. In 1996, Major Jawed Swali Bakali, who belonged to Kedgaon village of Ahmednagar, was killed in action while fighting in Kashmir and was later honoured with the Sena Medal for his exceptional courage, fighting spirit, and supreme sacrifice.

The Indian Army said that “he was a committed soldier and a brave officer who led from the front and laid down his life in the service of the nation”.

Moved by his story, Saraf’s first response was something should be done “unka samman karne ke liye (to pay a tribute to them). A tribute event was held in Pune, with Major Bakali’s mother as an honoured guest.

In the months that followed, Saraf worked to raise awareness about soldiers’ sacrifices and the importance of public appreciation. Along with like-minded individuals, he participated in a “Border and Battlefield Study Tour” to the Kashmir border, organized by the Southern Command in 1997.

He gave almost 1,200 lectures to school and college students, senior citizens, mahila mandal and NGOs on what can be done for soldiers.

Gradually, the initiative resulted in sending parcels of sweets and other mementos to the soldiers on Diwali, Raksh Bandhan and Sankranti.

“We started the tradition in 1997 and haven’t missed a single year. What we have been told is that the soldiers deeply value the gifts that we send,” Saraf was quoted by the newspaper as saying.