Patriotic spirit resonated at the Asafwala War Memorial as 1,100 women from Fazilka town tied rakhis to 1,100 Indian Army soldiers during a Raksha Bandhan programme held here on Jattvibeday. The event was presided over by Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria.The soldiers presented special gifts to their Fazilka-based ‘sisters’, while the women offered boxes of sweets to the soldiers. The 1,100 rakhis were prepared by the Women Welfare Society, Fazilka.Fifteen visually impaired women, led by decorated para-athlete Arti Limje, also tied rakhis to Governor Kataria, Lieutenant General S S Virk, General Officer Commanding, Chetak Corps, and Major General Anuj Kalia, General Officer Commanding, Amogh Division.Limje, whose name figures in the World Book of Records for being the first visually impaired woman to complete a 50-km run in record time, is also the chief of the Para Goalball Association, Maharashtra. She travelled from Mumbai along with her visually impaired teammates from Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad) to participate in the programme and tie rakhis to the jawans and the Governor.The programme was organised by the Asafwala War Memorial Committee, headed by its president Karan Gilhotra, along with his foundation.Addressing the gathering, Kataria said the programme was unique as he had never witnessed such a mass Raksha Bandhan celebration in which 1,100 Army soldiers participated that too at a war memorial.“Tying rakhis to the bravehearts is an expression of gratitude towards them for protecting the country on different occasions and continuing to do so,” he said.The Governor said the country had won several wars against its enemies but questioned why it could not wage a war against drugs, which had now emerged as a major threat to the state of Punjab, the land of the Gurus.He said India had become self-sufficient in manufacturing defence equipment, which had been demonstrated during various military operations, including Operation Sindoor.Kataria said the war memorial was a testimony to the valour of 232 Indian Army soldiers who sacrificed their lives while defending the country. He described it as a unique and magnificent memorial maintained by an NGO from Fazilka.The Governor also lauded residents of the border areas for displaying remarkable courage while facing various challenges, including wars, floods and other adverse circumstances.He exhorted the organisers to make the Raksha Bandhan celebration at the war memorial an annual feature to pay tributes to the martyrs.