The land of soldiers and teachers

A small village in Hubli – Neginhal village situated 38 km from Belagavi has the reputation of being called a ‘Land of soldiers.’ It is called so as over 400 youth from that village have been in the Army and Border Security Force.  The village has only about 7,500 residents living in 1,200 households, but it is very serious regarding giving service to the nation. There is a strong condition that at least one person from each family should join the Army. If due to some reason, it is not possible to join the army, then the member is expected to take up a teaching job to train and mould young minds. After retirement, senior soldiers return to their village and motivate the youth to join the Army. They also train them and help them get qualified in recruitment rallies. In the past few years, about 85 soldiers posted in various states, including those who fought the Kargil war have retired. Those who couldn’t join the army take up the profession of teachers. There are about 500 teachers in the village working in different parts of the state. The headmaster of Government Model School, R R Torangatti, said that there are four government primary schools and one private high school in the village. Soldiers are given due respect. When they pay a visit to the village or get retired, they are on the guest list for the celebration of national festivals. The small town of Neginhall has given many responsible citizens to the country. They take pride in the fact that their village is called the land of soldiers. Ramesh Pujar, a soldier stated that one can find a teacher or soldier in every other house. One works to educate the nation and the other to protect it.