On February 14th, Valentine’s Day, a day when love fills the heart, and often the mind, 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were martyred in a suicide attack in Pulwama when their convoy was on the way to Srinagar. It was distressing news, and in the days following the attack, the country avenged the attacks, but the grief of their families remained in every Indian’s heart.

At the GPL, the martyrs were not forgotten; tribute was paid to the martyrs at a replica of the Amar Jawan memorial in New Delhi, while speed painter Mahendra Acharya, painted a soldier on a map of India and singer Pallavi Prabhu rendered a patriotic song.

Condolences were offered to the families of the martyrs and the GPL organizers, Kodial Sports Association presented a cheque of Rs: 1,00,000 (Rs: One lakh)  to the CRPF fund from out the of the surplus generated from the GPL. It was a noble and thoughtful gesture by the organizers, which would help the men in uniform. After all, it is they who help us enjoy these events by protecting us from disruptive forces from within and without.