Gurgaon, Aug 14 (IANS): Jagpal Yadav, one of the bodyguards of Subhas Chandra Bose, was felicitated by the Russian telecom giant Sistema on Independence-Day eve at a function here at the company's India headquarters on the outskirts of Delhi.

"I was a born a ghulam (slave), we fought for freedom with Netaji and never thought we would live to see free India," octogenarian Yadav said at the event, reminiscing his days during India's pre-independence era.

"But now I know I am in a free and developing India," he said, pleased to see all-round development, especially in this satellite city of the Indian capital that is home to scores of malls, residential complexes and multinationals and top Indian companies alike.

He said it was because of independence that his daughter, who he recalled was classmate of late astronaut Kalpana Chawla, could pursue quality education in India despite the family's modest means and could then become a professional in the US.

Vsevolod Rozanov, the president and chief executive of the Russian firm's Indian venture Sistems Shyam TeleServices announced that 10 freedom fighters will be honoured in each of the 12 circles the telecom company operates in.

"We salute the passion of Indian heroes who fought for the freedom of India. Through this gesture, we welcome India's freedom heroes into our family and help them stay connected with their near and dear ones."

Sistems operates in India using its MTS brand and has some 6 million subscribers of its mobile phone and high-speed broadband access services.