A poignant Facebook post of the widow of an Indian Army officer has moved thousands of people, who have praised her poise and dignity in the face of a huge personal loss.
Salma Shafeeq Ghori paid a tribute to her husband Major Shafeeq Ghori on the Facebook page BeingYou on his death anniversary on July 1. He was killed in a gunbattle with militants in Jammu and Kashmir in 2001 during Operation Rakshak.
She describes her life after she got married at the age of 19 in 1991 to Major Ghori, who was constantly on the move leaving her alone for long periods. She talks about how she did not have the luxury of mobile phones to keep in touch with her husband and had to write to each other.
“I used to spend hours by the phone unsure when he would call. We used to write letters and my husband made sure I received one letter every day for the days he was away from me. I used to write small notes and hide small surprises in his luggage,” she writes in the post that has been ‘liked’ by 1,85,000 people and shared 42,676 times at the time of writing this story.
As Major Ghori served in areas such as Punjab, Tripura, and Srinagar, which are known as high-risk postings, Salma says she managed to live without her husband around and moved to Bengaluru in 2001. “He used to be gone for days but by then I had become strong and learnt to fend for myself and our children. I knew he loved the country the most and his kids and wife came a close second,” she says.
{{/usCountry}}As Major Ghori served in areas such as Punjab, Tripura, and Srinagar, which are known as high-risk postings, Salma says she managed to live without her husband around and moved to Bengaluru in 2001. “He used to be gone for days but by then I had become strong and learnt to fend for myself and our children. I knew he loved the country the most and his kids and wife came a close second,” she says.
{{/usCountry}}She spoke with her husband for the last time in June 2001 three days before he died. “He wanted to speak to the kids but they were running around with their cousins and there was a lot of chaos and noise. I told him to come back to his base and speak to them. I still regret that decision.”
She received the news of her husband’s death on July 1, 2001.
“Everything around me fell, crumbled. That day was the day I received my final letter from him. The next day, I went to the airport to receive him for the last time.This time in a box clad in Indian Flag. I broke down. He would always ask me to be strong. He reminded me even on that last day we spoke, but I never imagined a day when he wouldn’t be around,” she writes.
Salma was only 29 years old when Major Ghori died in the line of duty and instead of moving on with her life, she decided to work for army martyr families..
“People told me to move on.. but He was, is, and will always be my Forever.”