By Purushottam Nayak
Kandhamal, June 16, 2022: About 500 people – Hindus and Christians – June 16 observed the second death anniversary of Chandrakanta Pradhan, a Catholic from Odisha who died in the skirmish between Indian and Chinese armies in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh region
“The death of Chandrakanta brings great pride and honor to the Odisha Church,” says Father Pradhosh Chandra Nayak, parish priest of Our Lady of Charity Church and vicar general of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, in his homily.
The priest recalled that Pradhan was brave enough to fight for the country as well as to stand for the faith in Jesus.”
Pradhan was among 20 Indian soldiers who died on June 15.
Many officials from different government departments also joined the gathering to pay homage to the brave hero of Kandhamal.
“Chandrakanta is not only my son, he is the son of Kandhamal, Odisha and India,” says Karunakar Pradhan father of Galwan martyr.
Chandrakanta Pradhan was a native of Bearpanga, Raikia in Kandhamal district, about 260 km west of the state capital Bhubaneswar.
Chandrakanta, who was a soldier of the 16 Bihar regiment, died in fierce hand-to hand combat, one of the most serious military conflicts between China and India for decades.
After Mass, the gathering went in a procession raising slogans “Chandrakant Pradhan amar rahe (Let Chandrakanta Pradhan remain immortal). They garlanded Pradhan’s statue.
“We shall continue to organize volley ball tournament each year in memory of our brave son Chandrakanta Pradhan who was honest, simple yet courageous enough to sacrifice his life for the sake of India,” said Satyaban Patra, district council member of Kandhamal.
“Pradhan is now an inspiration and model to most of the youth of the region,” he added.