IN THIS world of internet and fiction movies, Seikh Ranjam Qureshi, this name may not be known to many. Well this man was once a brave soldier of the Azad Hind Fauj of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and had fought the British in Burma and Japan to get India’s independence. But due to criminal negligence by the authorities, he is living in virtual penury.

Even at the age of 92, Qureshi is working as an umbrella mechanic in his village Mandosil of Paikmal block, in Bargarh district of Orissa. Finding no other way of survival, the freedom fighter is fending for himself to make both ends meet. He manages to take care of his two grown up children Halima (22) and Alim Mohammad (21) with whatever little he earns.

Fighting against Japan, he was imprisoned as well. That time he came out of the jail with the help of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Seikh was highly motivated by Netaji’s slogan of "Give me blood and I will give you freedom". This slogan attracted Seikh towards Azad Hind Fouj.

After independence he tried to join the army but the situation did not permit him to do so. He still has the same love and patriotism for the country but he is very upset by the recent terrorist attacks happening in the country.

To everyone’s surprise he neither receives nor expects any freedom fighter’s pension from the government. He has no complaints about it.

In a country where cricket players get crores of rupees for just wining a match, where politicians get crores from under the table deals, the least one expects is that a person who once fought bravely to protect his motherland from the Britishers is now forced to repair broken umbrellas. He has never asked for any help from the authority but it’s the moral duty of every Indian that they should give him the due recognition, which has eluded him for a very long time.