Jaswant Singh Rawat, a Garhwal Rifles soldier, was just 21 when he was killed while fighting Chinese forces during the Sino-Indian War in 1962.Over the decades, the rifleman’s home in his native village in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal fell into disrepair as his family members moved away.Now, it is all set to be converted into a museum where visitors can learn about Rawat’s life and military service, BJP MP Anil Baluni said on Monday.Baluni, who represents the Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency, told The Indian Express that he visited Rawat’s ancestral village of Baryun in Pauri Garhwal last week. “When I asked to see his house, I found that it had turned to ruin. Nobody was living there,” Baluni said.According to Baluni, villagers told him that Rawat’s family members had moved away, and that locals wanted to see the ancestral house preserved and converted into a museum.“After seeing the condition of the house, I thought that it should be turned into a museum. I then spoke to his brother over the phone because it was important to have the family’s consent,” Baluni said, adding that the family agreed.Read | Who was Lord Lansdowne and Rifleman Jaswant Singh?The proposed museum will come up right where Rawat’s ancestral home is. A feasibility study and consultation with an architect will be done first.The BJP MP said he intends to use funds from his MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) allocation for the project, and that the foundation ceremony for the museum is planned for November 17 – the date on which Rawat was killed in the Battle of Nuranang 64 years ago.“My plan is to perform the Bhoomi Pujan that day,” he said.Story continues below this ad BJP MP Anil Baluni. (Express photo)Baluni also plans to bring soil from Jaswant Garh, the war memorial in Arunachal Pradesh built at the spot where Rawat fought and was killed, and use it in the foundation-laying ceremony. “I will go to Tawang in a few days and bring mud from there. We will put that soil in the foundation of the house,” he said.Jaswant Garh War Memorial is located around 24-25 kilometres from Tawang and commemorates Rawat’s role in the Battle of Nuranang.Rawat, who was serving with the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles, was enlisted in the Army on August 19, 1960, at the age of 19, two years before he was killed.During the Battle of Nuranang in the then North-East Frontier Agency, now Arunachal Pradesh, Rawat fought Chinese forces under extremely difficult conditions. He was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India’s second-highest wartime gallantry award, for his bravery.Story continues below this adBaluni said Rawat occupies a particularly important place in the history and traditions of the Garhwal Rifles.“When people go to Jaswant Garh, they think of the Indian Army. If you read his story, he stopped the entire Chinese Army there for 72 hours. He was alone. He was martyred at the age of 21. Jaswant Singh is the biggest name for Garhwal Rifles. Everyone calls him Jaswant Baba,” Baluni said.According to Baluni, the museum will preserve Rawat’s memory and sacrifice and give visitors a chance to learn about his life and military service.He also plans to develop the approach to the ancestral home, including a gate named after Rawat, following a suggestion by villagers.