Coimbatore:
Enid Harris, the 85-year-old widow of war veteran Charles Valentine, on Saturday received the “Vijay Mashal’, a symbolic torch, as part of the ongoing golden jubilee celebrations of India’s 1971 victory over Pakistan.
The torch reached INS Agrani here, where she received it, along with Vice-Admiral B Kannan (Retd) and his wife.
Charles Valentine also participated in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, where he was at the Fleet Reserve, an official release said.
A total of about 200 personnel, including war veterans, NCC cadets, students of the Navy Children’s School and family members of naval personnel participated in the function.
Various commemorative events like motivational lectures on the role of Indian Navy in the 1971 war, screening of patriotic movies, painting competition for Navy Children School were held, the release said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 16 last year had lit the ‘Swarnim Vijay Mashaal’ from the eternal flame of the National War Memorial in Delhi, marking the beginning of the 50th anniversary year celebrations of India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971.
