Today, his distraught family is struggling to come to terms with the news of his demise in the Sukma naxal attack yesterday, clueless as they are about their lives without him.
Surender was among the 25 CRPF personnel who were in the Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh's Sukma, one of the deadliest in years.
Pushpraag Thakur, who learnt of his brother-in-law's death at 5:45 am today, said he was proud of Surender's martyrdom, but had no expectations from the government.
"My brother-in-law and 24 other men died, but nobody is affected. All they do is put a garland on the martyrs' photos to be in the news. My brother-in-law has given his life for the country and I am proud of him, but why do we never see a minister's son becoming a martyr on the border?" Pushpraag told PTI.
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A phone call to Sanjay Kumar's home in Palampur, also in Himachal Pradesh, elicited wails of his inconsolable elder daughter who demanded nothing but justice for her father.
"Papa ko justice dilao.. Papa ki kya galti thi (Do justice to my father, what was his fault)?" was all that was to be heard from the distressed daughter.
Sanjay's elder brother, Vijay Sharma said he was proud of his sacrifice but his voice mirrorred Pushpraag's hopelessness and lack of trust in the government.
In Kamarajar colony in Needamangalam town of Tamil Nadu, Sendhil Kumar has left behind a hapless mother, a distraught wife and an eight-year-old son.
"I want my husband...I only want my husband back," his wife Vidhya said.
The father of Saurabh Kumar from Danapur in Bihar is proud of his son and all others who "fought bravely".
"Yes, I am sad and hurt because he was my eldest son. He also has a 7-month-old baby. But, what can we do? This was decided by the almighty," he said.
"The government's stand is not clear on this issue. Either they should talk to naxals and bring them to the mainstream, or they must do whatever they did in Punjab and Sri Lanka...What happened to Veerappan must be done to the naxals.
"Par pyaar se bahut kuchh jeeta ja sakta hai (But a lot can be won with love). Violence must be the last option," he said.
Meanwhile, there is hope for the family of constable Sher Mohammad, hailing from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. He was wounded in the encounter that followed the ambush and is recuperating in a hospital.