GUWAHATI, Aug 5 - A prisoner of the 1971 Indo-Pak War, Lalhruoi Hmar gets fascinated every time he is asked to narrate the challenges he faced in the war zone. After his retirement from service, there is another mission he seems to be equally enthusiastic about.
Lalhruoi of Dima Hasao district has now embarked on a new mission which, he believes, would be equally challenging. The 1971 prisoner of war (PoW), who remained in Pakistan�s captivity for exactly one year and 18 days, has now taken up cudgels on behalf of fellow senior citizens both in his home district and the State as a whole.
In an interaction meet with Governor PB Acharya at the Raj Bhawan today, Lalhruoi and other representatives of various senior citizens� groups of the State vowed that they would become an asset and not a liability to the society.
�Those were tough days (in captivity), but I have been following my new mission with equal zeal. I want to see the senior citizens empowered,� Lalhruoi told The Assam Tribune.
The Governor, in his address, said, �Senior citizens are the source of the hidden energy of the State and they should be treated as assets and not liabilities. Their experience and wisdom must be utilised to the optimum level by the next generation to reap the benefits. Even peasants should be included in the mission.�
During the interaction programme, the Governor urged retired teachers and government employees to volunteer themselves for the overall uplift of the society, especially in improving the standards of education in their respective localities.
�The strength of the chain lies in its weakest link and the same theory holds good for our society too. We should all work for the empowerment of the poorest in our own way,� the Governor said while addressing the gathering which also included members from the Sainik Welfare Board, Assam.
Representatives of senior citizens� groups of more than 20 districts were present in the interaction programme.
