Rajouri: Veteran actor Nana Patekar was moved to tears while meeting victims of Pakistani shelling on Monday, distributing relief material to help them rebuild their lives.
Representing his NGO, the Nirmala Gajanan Foundation, Patekar visited residents of border areas in Poonch and Rajouri districts who suffered during Pakistan’s retaliatory attacks following Operation Sindoor in May.
The actor, known for portraying an army major in the film Prahaar, said he is personally sponsoring the education of an 11-year-old girl whose father, Amreek Singh, was killed in the shelling in Poonch.
In total, Patekar provided Rs 42 lakh in aid to 117 families affected by the attacks between May 7 and 10, either through the loss of family members or house damage.
Operation Sindoor involved Indian armed forces launching missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. Subsequent retaliatory shelling, missile strikes, and drone attacks by Pakistani forces along the Line of Control killed at least 28 people.
“It is a small contribution for families who are our own and suffered only because they live on the borders. We want to convey that they are not alone,” Patekar said, accompanied by Maj Gen Kaushik Mukherjee, General Officer Commanding of the 25th Infantry Division, and Deputy Commissioner Rajouri Abhishek Sharma.
He added, “It is our responsibility to come forward and adopt at least one such family. We should not always rely on the government, which is doing whatever it can.”
Patekar also mentioned Amitabh Bachchan and Johnny Lever as fellow film industry philanthropists. “I am just the face in front. This is only the beginning, and we will continue such efforts,” he said.
Although visiting Rajouri for the first time, Patekar recalled his contributions during the 1999 Kargil War and visits to various parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including forward areas guarded by the BSF.
The 74-year-old Padma Shri awardee said his NGO has adopted 48 army goodwill schools—28 in Kashmir, seven in Ladakh, and the rest in Jammu—to improve education standards and infrastructure.
When asked about plans to establish a hospital for border residents, he noted that while setting up a facility is easy, maintaining it is challenging. On the poorly maintained Jammu-Poonch National Highway, he said, “I will raise this issue with the concerned authorities in Delhi for its immediate upkeep to provide better facilities to border residents.”
Maj Gen Mukherjee praised the actor’s generosity, saying, “We are grateful to the NGO for extending a helping hand to the victims’ families.”
