Naren marks 25 years of the Keep Moving Movement, a youth initiative started in 2001. Over 5,300 students wrote letters of gratitude to Indian Army soldiers in four languages, with Marathi letters delivered to the 15th Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry. He visited the battalion, heard soldiers' stories, and renewed his commitment to inspiring young people to serve the nation.
Without inspiration, life feels incomplete. That thought is what made us start the Keep Moving Movement to inspire students to live a life of power and purpose. As we completed 25 years, we asked ourselves a simple question: How do we celebrate this milestone in a way that gives next-level inspiration to the next generation? After hours of brainstorming, the think tank decided, let's give the students an opportunity to write a letter of gratitude for the soldiers. These letters will make our daring soldiers know that there are a few thousand civilian students who truly salute their bravery, have gratitude for the soldiers, and their welfare is always in our thoughts and prayers. We requested the students to pour their heartfelt emotions into a letter, knowing one soldier will read it for sure. 5,305 of the students of KNM wrote personalized letters of gratitude to our glorious soldiers. Some letters were written in English, some in Hindi, some even in Urdu, and some in Marathi. Letters written in Marathi were shared with the 15th Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry, one of the oldest and the most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. They were hand-delivered to Commanding Officer Colonel Jatin Thomas, who heads the unit. Listening to him speak and interacting with him will be a memory of a lifetime. He was strong yet humble, grounded yet powerful, warm yet towering, disciplined to the core, an officer and and the gentleman. A powerful moment came soon afterwards. We were taken to the Quarter Guard, a sacred place where the pride and the legacy of the battalion are preserved. There were pictures and memorabilia on all the walls. We heard the soldiers speak about the supreme sacrifice made by a few and how these soldiers who laid down their life were revered. Our hearts leapt when we were informed that once every 3 years, on the day the soldiers had laid down their lives for us, Representatives of the battalion visits their family and tells them, we are still here for you. Standing there, one feels something powerful. In that moment, we made a promise to ourselves to continue inspiring young people as long as we are alive. Today it is just 5,305 children writing letters. Tomorrow these 5,305 children will be young citizens of India serving the nation in their own way because they were touched by a soldier's soul. When that happens, this journey of KMM that began on January 20th, 2001, which is almost 25 years ago, would truly have been worth it. Jai Hind!
