Little wonder then that when Honorary Captain Philipose Thomas came back to his village after the war, a hero's welcome awaited him.

Philipose Thomas is the only Keralite to win the Mahavir Chakra, the highest gallantry award given during war. Joining the Army in 1961, he participated in the 1962 Indo-China war and in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.

For him, the 1971 war was the most challenging. He was second-in-command of his platoon that crossed the Basanthar river and advanced 48 km into Pakistan, after waging a pitched battle.

He felt that adecent share of the Kargil fund being raised by the Government and voluntary agencies should go to the widows and disabled jawans of previous wars and IPKF operations.

``In its 52-year history, free India has fought three full-scale wars with its neighbours. But it is for the first time that the Defence Ministry and various other agencies are coming out with a generous gesture to the war victims. I do appreciate it. But we should not lose sight of the fact that dependents of several jawans who laid down their lives in previous wars are yet to get a fair deal from the Government. Most of them are still dependent on the meagre pension allotted to them. Dependents of many poor jawans who fought under the Madras-Travancore Regiments still badly require a helping hand,'' Philipose said.