This Independence Day, Say Thank You To Our Soldiers!

Independence Day is an occasion to celebrate one’s homeland, patriotism and of course, freedom. Each individual has its own way to go about it; the Prime Minister hoists the Tri-color at the Red Fort, there are programmes held in schools, the national anthem is sung at various corners of the country… but for most of us, the occasion holds little significance other than a holiday. However, it is essential that we utilize this day to remember the struggles of our ancestors and appreciate the freedom that we have taken for granted.

21fools.com has come up with an innovative way to give Independence Day an all new meaning. They have introduced an initiative wherein we, the citizens of India, can celebrate our freedoms by sending a token of our gratitude to the people who are responsible for gifting us with restful and peaceful lives. Our very own soldiers. They have allowed us an opportunity to participate in their initiative of gifting our soldiers with cards this Independence day. For there is nothing more touching to those brave men than our appreciation and gratefulness for the tough lives they lead while protecting us.

The procedure is simple enough:
Step 1: The customer will come and purchase the greeting card from the website www.21fools.com
Step 2: 21fools will print the card and send it equally to all the five Indian Army Border HQ. (Udhampur, Pune, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow)
Step 3: The name of the people who have bought the card will be displayed on www.21fools.com
Step 4: The details (Signed letter from the Indian Army that ‘X’ number of greeting card have been received by them) will be made public via 21fools.

The cards will be printed in Mumbai. From here they will be shipped in bulk to the five different Army Headquarters all over India and the Army will send the cards from these HQ to the remote border areas.

Because of security reasons, it is not possible to reveal the name of the soldier to whom the card will reach. But in order to make the process more informative for the customers, 21fools will send a Thank you card to the person who has taken part in the initiative and will let him/her know to which part of India the card has been shipped.

The start-up has already obtained the necessary approvals from the Indian Army to implement this great idea and is receiving help from them in sending the Thank you greeting card to the soldiers on the border. The Design for the greeting card is complete and is unique in terms of the number of people who have aided in creating it. The design includes 28 pictures of 28 different people from all the states, symbolising the collective greetings from all the states.

It is good to learn that 21fools has introduced this gesture for the noble cause of bringing a smile on a soldier’s face, rather than for monetary gains. In fact, the sole motive of the start-up is to make this world a happier place. According to them, whatever they are charging the customers for the cards will be completely used for the printing, creasing, cutting, packaging and shipping of the cards. If at all there is a margin of profit, they intend to use it to print more cards for our soldiers and send it on behalf of all the people who have bought it. In order to keep the initiative out of any controversies, they will make the finances as transparent as possible on their website.

Though the response from the start-up community and the media has been highly positive to the venture, the number of cards sold until now is not very satisfying. Mails from the Indian Army say that they are really looking forward to this initiative and 21fools has placed its trust in the people of India to not disappoint the soldiers. It is my humble request that all of you set aside a little of your allowance to participate in this exquisite initiative and make our soldiers feel like the prized heroes they are. Ask your organization, your school, your college or the company in which you are working to participate in the initiative and make it big. Let us thank the soldiers for being away from their homes, spending uncomfortable days and nights, and living in the harsh terrains… all for our safety.