A pall of gloom hung heavy at the house of Army jawan Ryada Mahesh from Telangana who was martyred in Kashmir on Sunday, as news of his demise was conveyed to his family. He was married for only a year.
Son of a farmer couple in Komanpally village of Velpur mandal in Nizamabad district, Mahesh, 26, had come up in life the hard way.
His wife and parents were inconsolable after hearing of the news of his demise. His parents Ryada Raju and Gangamallu, both farmers, were shocked over the loss of their son.
They recalled that he had last telephoned them on November 2, saying that he was going on a patrol with colleagues in a nearby area. That was the last they heard from him.
Mahesh was among four security personnel and three militants killed during a failed infiltration bid by militants along the Line of Control in Machil Sector of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday.
The family was initially informed that he had sustained critical injuries in the encounter. Later, they were told that he had died.
After completing intermediate (plus two) from a private college in Nizamabad, Mahesh passed the competitive exam to be selected for the Army in 2014-15. After training, he was posted in Assam and later at Dehradun before his transfer to Jammu and Kashmir.
He had married Suhasini, daughter of an Army officer, a year ago. Mahesh was the younger of the two siblings. His elder brother works in the Gulf.
The parents recalled that he had last come home in December last year. They had advised him to be careful in view the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislator K Kavitha took to Twitter to pay rich tributes to Mahesh. Kavitha, who is the daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, assured that Telangana will stand by the martyr's family.
"Thank you for keeping us safe, your heroism will never be forgotten," tweeted Director General of Police M Mahender Reddy.
Mahesh's body will be brought to the village in a day or two for cremation.
