Chandu Babulal Chavan had strayed over the Line of Control into Pakistan last month. (File)
The ashes of soldier Chandu Chavan's grandmother remain in a clay pot in their home in Maharashtra, untouched. It has been nine days since Lilabai Chavan died of a massive stroke immediately after learning of Chandu's capture by Pakistani forces.
Speaking to NDTV on the phone from Dhule in Maharashtra, her other grandson Bhushan says the ashes will be immersed only by his brother. "Her soul will only rest in peace when Chandu returns," says the 26-year-old.
On September 29, soon after India's surgical strikes targeting terror launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, an officer from Chandu's 36 Rashtriya Rifles unit called Bhushan. The officer didn't reveal his name but shared the devastating news of his brother's capture. The soldier strayed across the Line of Control, says the army.
It's been nine days since that phone call. Bhushan, who is also in the army, with the Maratha Light Infantry, says he is bound by service rules to stay calm and patient.
"We have heard nothing, not a single word," he shares, admitting that he has been obsessively tracking news from Pakistan on his smartphone and refreshing sites like Dawn News every few seconds for some news.
Union Minister Subhash Bhamare, the local parliamentarian, visited the family and consoled, "Have hope, we are trying."
The family panicked after a recent report by a Marathi news channel claimed that Pakistan didn't have Chandu in their custody. Bhushan made frantic calls to local reporters and was relieved to hear it was not true.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said that the top military officers on either side of the border have already spoken about Chandu's return. In these tense times, the process of swapping soldiers who accidentally crossed the Line of Control could be longer than the 20 odd days it usually takes.
The wait is agonising for the family.