Udhampur, Jan 5: The Indian Army on Monday flagged off the Dhruva Motorcycle Rally from the Dhruva War Memorial in Udhampur as part of the 10th Veterans Day commemorations, paying tribute to soldiers who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the memorial, led by Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, GOC-in-C Northern Command, and Lt Gen P K Mishra, GOC White Knight Corps, along with local legislators, veterans, and family members of fallen soldiers.
Honorary Captain Bana Singh (Retd), Param Vir Chakra awardee, and Chinta Devi, wife of late Naib Subedar Sub Chunni Lal, were also honoured for their service and sacrifice.
The ceremony included the lighting of a torch symbolising the eternal glory of the fallen.
The motorcycle rally was ceremonially flagged off by Honorary Captain Bana Singh and Chinta Devi. Senior Army officers rode alongside the bikers from Udhampur to Nagrota in the first leg of the rally, demonstrating solidarity with veterans.
Covering around 740 km, the Dhruva Motorcycle Rally will pass through the Pir Panjal region in the White Knight Corps zone and conclude at a mega ex-servicemen rally in Rajouri on January 13.
Along the route, wreath-laying ceremonies will be held at war memorials, while ‘Aarogya Rakshak’ medical teams will conduct health camps for ex-servicemen, including the distribution of blood pressure monitoring devices to senior veterans.
The rally underscores the Indian Army’s commitment to veterans’ welfare and its ethos of “Service Beyond Uniform”.