This South Indian actress's father was martyred in the Uri attack

South Indian actress Rukmini Vasanth recently shared a deeply emotional aspect about her life. In a recent interview, she spoke about losing her father, Colonel Vasanth Venugopal, who was martyred in 2007 during a mission in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri.

Rukmini Vasanth opens up about her father who was martyred in Uri attack

Rukmini's father Colonel Vasanth Venugopal was killed in 2007 while preventing infiltrators from crossing the India-Pakistan border at Uri, Jammu and Kashmir.” He “was Karnataka’s first recipient of the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime military decoration.” His bravery and sacrifice continue to inspire many, while his family has carried his legacy forward with strength and purpose.

Reflecting on her childhood loss, Rukmini said, “It left a lasting impact on me because I was a child when we lost our father. At that point, to see my mother, whose life has been completely rocked and changed, take her raw pain and find a way to channel that to other people, to find a way to spread the immense privilege that reached our family, to find a way to disperse to people who don’t have access was moving to me. It instilled a strong sense of philanthropy, of taking your pain and making it productive.”

She also highlighted the work of their Veer Ratna foundation and said, “It’s a great deal to isolate yourself from your particular pain and reach other people who may be suffering in the same way. It builds a sense of community. One of the most wonderful things that our Veer Ratna Foundation does is that they organise three-day workshops for wives and children of martyrs. And those workshops become a sense of community and togetherness.”

She also shared her personal experience and added, “My sister and I have attended them as participants. We all have one thing in common. We have lost our fathers in action. But it grows to be so much more than that - it forms a community. It’s a cause that I care deeply about.”

On whether she feels the weight of responsibility, Rukmini reflected, “Often times, we have to use the attention and eyes on us to channel it to something professionally, but I do feel some sort of responsibility towards the foundation and directing attention to other important causes. We need to change the spotlight around and spotlight other different issues as well.”

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