Kargil War: The Pride Day!
We were a family of three sisters and our parents, living a good life until a devastating incident happened. My father’s demise. The feelings of grief swamped us until our mother decided to stay strong and fight the snag. It was that moment of my life when I decided to become like my mother, bold and fearless. I decided to join the army.
Taking part in NCC and Republic Day camps was the first step towards my goal. I still remember when I was selected from the Republic Day camp to have lunch with the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. When I got to meet him, I could muster some courage to ask him, “When will we have girls in the army?”
He just had a smile on his face and said “one day.” Although that day took so long, it came right for me.
In 1993, I completed college and luckily the Indian army started employing lady officers in the army from that year. I got a call for SSB, cleared it in my first attempt and, joined the academy in 1994. I was happy that night. Finally, I would become a Fauji. The training in the academy was the same for everyone. From learning to fire a pistol to using the ammunition with closed eyes to swimming, horse-riding, running a marathon with a 25 kg battle load on our backs, nothing stopped us.
We usually had no clue of where we will be deployed and for how long, all we knew was that we are all set to prove ourselves. In 1999, I was pregnant when I volunteered to be posted to high altitude; I was tested at every step. I couldn’t lose the opportunity and I decided to go for it.
However, in 1999, an emergency struck and the war of Kargil began. We were on high-altitude warfare. Choosing to stay on that battlefield was the most challenging phase of my life because I was responsible along with the entire unit to equip thousands of soldiers with arms. ammunitions, night vision devices, jackets, helmets, and all that they needed to fight an effective battle against the army.
It was a hard time for India. We worked round the clock to ensure the safety of our people. After the toil and perseverance, we finally emerged successful at Operation Vijay. Even after 22 years of the war, when I recall that day, the victory triumphs fill me with pride. Just as the Chetwode Motto says,” The safety, honor, and welfare of our country come first” and I am glad to have proven every bit of it.