Sergeant Ashish Juyal of the Indian Air Force, a resident of Kothi village in Deval block of Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, returned to his ancestral home wrapped in the national tricolour. The 37-year-old airman, who was posted in Delhi, had promised his six-year-old daughter Ginny that he would be home on 16 September to celebrate her birthday. That promise remained unfulfilled.
Juyal suffered a sudden deterioration in health on 12 September and was admitted to the Army Base Hospital in Delhi (Palam). He died during treatment on the night of 15 September. His mortal remains were brought to the village on Thursday, 17 September, and cremated the same day with full military honours at the ancestral Ghatbagad ghat on the banks of the Pindar river.
On the day the family had planned birthday celebrations, the house in Kothi village was instead enveloped in mourning. Ginny had been waiting in new clothes, expecting balloons and a cake cut by her father. Instead, she received news of his death the previous night and saw his body arrive the following day. At the final farewell, the child saluted her father through tears, a moment that left villagers and relatives in visible grief.
Juyal is survived by his mother Deveshwari, wife Sandhya, and daughter Ginny. He was the only son of the late Shambhu Prasad Juyal and the sole brother of three sisters. His mother and wife have been overcome by shock, fainting repeatedly. Hundreds of villagers gathered for the last rites. Indian Air Force personnel rendered a salute and played a dirge. Floral tributes were offered by Tharali MLA Bhupal Ram Tamta, Air Force Warrant Officer Sanjay Kumar, and local representatives.
The village has fallen silent. What was to have been a day of celebration for a young daughter became the day her father returned home for the last time, draped in the tricolour.
