Two security men helped septuagenarian Balamdina, widow of Albert Ekka, the 1971 war hero, to reach her seat in the front row. Other widows of soldiers, much younger, walked upright. But, the same pride, mingled with sorrow, shone from their eyes.

Ten widows of departed soldiers were felicitated at Shaurya Samman Samaroh, organised at Central Coalfields (CCL) headquarters in Ranchi on Tuesday as part of the fortnight-long foundation day celebrations of Coal India that started on November 1.

Priya Shukla, widow of Shaurya Chakra awardee lieutenant-colonel Sankalp Kumar who died fighting terrorists in Srinagar in 2014, was the first to walk to the podium.

Then went Urmila, the widow of Kirti Chakra awardee Naik Vishwa Kerketta who lost his life in 1997 in an insurgency in Kashmir.

Others to follow were widows of Veer Chakra recipient Ghama Oraon, Shaurya Chakra winner Jeevan Bage, lieutenant-colonel B.K. Tiwari, Param Veer Chakra recipient Albert Ekka, Gopi Chand Chourasia, Somnath Oraon, Jawra Munda and Naiman Kujur.

CCL employees clapped so hard when their chairman-cum-managing director Gopal Singh felicitated the widows of soldiers, that the commentary on heroes was drowned.

"Their sacrifices will always inspire us," Singh said.