In a heartwarming gesture, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane's wife delivered gifts from Gorkha soldiers to their wives living in Kathmandu on November 6.
The gifts were handed over to the Army chief's wife and Army Wives Welfare Association President Veena Naravane by four Gorkha soldiers working with her husband in the Army Headquarters in South Block, New Delhi.
"After the gift parcels were given by the soldiers in Delhi to Army chief's wife, they were delivered to the wives of the soldiers in Kathmandu on November 6," Indian Army officials told ANI.
The wives of the soldiers were happy to receive the gifts amid restrictions imposed world over in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has been difficult to travel around even though soldiers have been getting leaves, the officials said.
The Indian Army Chief and his wife were in Nepal for three days from November 4 to 6 during which he has conferred the rank of honorary General of the Nepali Army as part of the longstanding tradition between the two countries.
It was during the panning of this important trip that Mrs Naravane thought of taking gifts from these soldiers as they could not visit their families on the festival of Dussehra and Diwali this year.
The Army chief himself had celebrated the Dussehra festival with the Gorkha troops in New Delhi as it is considered to be the biggest festival for them in the year.
Indian Army has a large number of Gorkha troops belonging to Nepal and they are considered to be among the best.
During his trip to Nepal, the Indian Army chief had met a large number of veterans living here in Nepal and also taken ambulances and medical aid for Indian Army's Ex-servicemen clinics and hospitals here.
He had also called on the Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and also held discussions with his Nepali counterpart Gen Poorna Chandra Thapa.
(ANI)