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Defence ministry gets seven more portraits of war-time heroes September 26th, 2008 – 7:45 pm ICT by IANS

New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) Defence Minister A.K. Antony Friday unveiled the portraits of seven more awardees of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India’s highest war-time gallantry award, at the defence ministry’s South Block office here. The portraits mounted Friday include those of Captain Vikram Batra, Lt. Manoj Kumar Pandey, Havildar Sanjay Kumar and Havildar Yogendra Yadav, who received the award for action during the 1999 Kargil conflict in Jammu and Kashmir.

Also joining the high portals was Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Bana Singh, who cleared an enemy intrusion in the Siachen Glacier in June 1987.

Major R. Parameswaran, who died fighting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka in November 1987, and legendary 1971 India-Pakistan war hero Lt. Arun Khetarpal are the other two PVC awardees whose portraits now adorn the elite corridor.

With this, the portraits of all the 21 PVC awardees now grace the walls of the defence ministry. Minister of State for Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh, Defence Secretary Vijay Singh and the three services chiefs were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Antony complimented the artist, Aarti Zaveri, who has painted all the seven new portraits.

“Her task was all the more difficult as the portraits had to be reproduced in a style and form similar to the earlier 14 portraits adorning the walls,” a defence ministry statement said.

Zaveri painted the works on a not-for-profit basis. “It is my humble tribute to the nation’s real heroes and makes me feel I have done my bit for the country,” she said.