The men in uniform are posted at the borders, far from their families and friends and the bustle of Diwali. What reaches them are messages of support and, in at least one big package, the taste of sweets from Pune.

A city-based organisation, Sainik Mitra Parivar, started their Diwali celebration a month before by collecting sweets from NGOs and individuals to be sent to jawans at the borders. “We appeal to schoolchildren to create messages for the soldiers that will inspire them. Our aim is to express gratitude to the soldiers during the festive season,” says Anand Saraf, a retired bank officer from the city and founder of Sainik Mitra Parivar.

This year, the organisation collected more than 1,200 kg of sweets. These were sent to soldiers stationed “from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Bhuj

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