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New beginnings: Wives of fallen heroes soldier on, don uniforms
The army is encouraging women who are eligible to become officers to follow in the footsteps of their late husbands, and also providing them guidance to make a fresh start, officials familiar with the matter said.
A growing number of army wives whose husbands were killed in combat or in the line of duty is hitting the reset button and choosing to pursue a career in the armed forces to carry forward the legacy of the brave men, soldiering on in the aftermath of upheaval in their lives and inspiring others to follow suit.
Rigzin Chorol from Ladakh became the latest woman to shine a spotlight on this trend when she passed out of the Chennai-based Officers Training Academy (OTA) as a newly-minted lieutenant in the Army Service Corps on October 29, her toddler son left in the care of family members during the 11 months of rigorous training at the academy. Her husband, Rifleman Rigzin Khandap of 3 Ladakh Scouts, died in the line of duty a few years ago.
The army is encouraging women who are eligible to become officers to follow in the footsteps of their late husbands, and also providing them guidance to make a fresh start, officials familiar with the matter said on Sunday. “Many of them feel a connection with the army and want to keep that connection alive. Some of them joined the academy at an older age but their performance has been on a par with the younger cadets,” said one of the officials.
The wife of one of the 20 braves killed in a skirmish with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in June 2020 is currently training at OTA and will be commissioned as an officer in March 2023, said a second official.
Rekha Singh, 24, was married to Naik Deepak Singh of the 16th Battalion of Bihar Regiment who was killed in action in the remote valley while fighting numerically superior Chinese soldiers on June 15, 2020, and was posthumously awarded Vir Chakra (VrC) for his heroism in November 2021.
VrC is India’s third-highest wartime military honour after Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and Maha Vir Chakra (MVC). Her husband’s unit helped her prepare for the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview – a rigorous personality and intelligence test spanning five days – to join OTA.
The wives of soldiers killed in action are granted exemption from appearing for the Combined Defence Services Examination, conducted by Union Public Service Commission (USPC), to qualify for the SSB interview. They are also entitled to age relaxation.
“My world came to a grinding halt after my husband was killed in action. I felt lost and helpless. I have found a new purpose in life after joining the army. My children and I are leading his life now,” said a woman officer, asking not to be named.
Swati Mahadik became a lieutenant at the age of 38.
The mother of two lost her husband, Colonel Santosh Mahadik, in an anti-terror operation in Kashmir in 2015. He was awarded the Shaurya Chakra – India’s third-highest peacetime gallantry award – for bravery that saved the lives of several men under his charge.
“It’s a mixed feeling. I wish I could go back to my old life with Santosh around. But that’s not possible. So I tell myself donning the uniform is the easiest way for me to be close to him,” Swati told HT in September 2017 after getting commissioned into the army. The first thing she did after the passing out parade was to take her children, Kartikee (then 12) and Swaraj (then 7), out for a meal. “They said I reminded them of their father in the uniform.”
Nitika Kaul is also among the women who have followed in their husband’s footsteps.
She was commissioned into the army as a lieutenant in May 2021, two years after her husband Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal died in a gun battle with terrorists in Kashmir’s Pulwama in February 2019. Dhoundiyal was awarded a Shaurya Chakra for his heroism. They had been married for a little over nine months.
“It’s never too late for new beginnings,” said another woman officer, asking not to be named.
