An olive green recession Premium

Nathowal, a village of soldiers, faces declining Army enlistment as youth seek better opportunities abroad amid economic and social challenges.

It’s February 12 and as the winter afternoon sun casts shadows across Nathowal’s martyrs’ memorial in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, two men stand before a plaque that has the 16 names of soldiers from this village who left and never returned. The memorial is a reminder of what this village has always been: faujian da pind (village of soldiers, in Punjabi). 

Sudagar Singh, a retired havildar from the Sikh Light Infantry of the Indian Army, stands near the memorial as he pays his respects and remembers the sacrifice of soldiers from his village. Of the approximately 1,400 houses here, almost every second household has a member either retired or currently serving in the armed forces and paramilitary. During the Kargil war, more than 40 people from the village were serving in the Army, of who two were martyred. 

Just beside the memorial, village folks have gathered. They are sitting in the sun to enjoy its warmth and swap daily stories. Sudagar joins them. The discussion unfolds around developing a new portrait museum of the martyrs in a room near the existing memorial, to inspire future generations. A parallel conversation surfaces about how fewer youths from the village are now joining the Army.

“For decades, the olive green uniform has been the identity of Nathowal. Most families encouraged their sons to join the armed forces and felt great honour and pride in it. But over the years, families have become more inclined to push their children to scout for better opportunities, be it here (in India) or abroad,” says Jaswinder Singh, the Sarpanch (village head) and a former Head Constable with the Border Security Force (BSF). One of the objectives of building this martyrs’ memorial was to motivate the men to fight for the country.

“Around three decades ago, about 70%-75% households had people in armed and paramilitary forces; now it’s 20%-25%,” says Jaswinder, even as a few elders push for the museum with urgency, hoping that showcasing photographs and stories of yesterday’s soldiers might somehow inspire tomorrow’s. 

The war memorial at Nathowal village, at which veterans are considering a portrait museum to encourage young men to join the Indian Army. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap