It was indeed scary in the beginning…
Very scary
But my husband explained that I must be prepared.
He said I shouldn’t depend on him or think that he’ll always be there,
and it might happen that you have to survive alone.
The risk factor is very high,
and I mustn't assume that we'll be together for life.
He had prepared me to be mentally strong…
And slowly, I became that way.
My Dad is from artillery, so he took part in the 1999 Kargil War.
For me, everyday was terrifying.
Whenever I used to come back from school and I used to put on the news,
thinking something is happening.
We were always worried about his life, because
it's not an easy job, he's fighting people on a daily basis.
As a kid you don't really understand that there is a possibility
that your Dad might not come back.
You don't really understand that.
I knew there were a lot of risks,
but not for one moment did we take it that way.
Otherwise life would become difficult to live.
All that the civilians know is that army people get a lot of perks.
What they don't get is that there’s a lot of sense of responsibility involved.
One doesn’t join the Army for risk alone, it's for pride of service.
For what we have thought of our country in our hearts, for the
adventure and to serve the nation it is necessary to join the army
One of my friends I asked him,
Bro, now you’re in the army…
we've grown up together,
what if you get shot tomorrow?
He’s like "No worries bro…”
“That's what I joined the army for."
He said this very casually. It’s a fact.
And all those who’ve joined the army,
they say this very casually…
"No big deal, this is what I joined the army for…”
“I'll take the bullet and pass away."
It's said very casually, but has a deep meaning to it.
Very honestly, after the first day
the first kick we got in our stomach,
we lifted our trunks and reached the squadron,
after that we never knew what happened until we passed out.
My grandfather was in the army, my father was in the army.
The 1962, '65 and '71 wars,
have been fought by my father and his 2 brothers.
I was in the Kargil War myself, in 1999.
The day I put on my rank was one of the most
fascinating moments of my life.
My parents were there, and they pipped me,
and I can never forget that moment in life.
It's a wonderful feeling.
Straightaway from your student days
you get a commission in the army,
you have a star on your shoulder.
You're in a different world.
There's something magical about the uniform.
We just see it as olive green, a piece of cloth, but I think there's more to it.
I think we all get attracted to the uniform.
Even if it is being this old and there's an officer your age,
you'll probably get attracted to him.
If I was to describe how I feel,
to see my Dad in the uniform,
I would say I feel as if he is The Thor.
I don't know why everybody thinks our parents wake us at 5 AM
and make us do exercises.
That is so not true.
Army parents are very very chilled.
They're just like any normal parent there is in this world.
I think they're more supporting.
There's no parade going on early in the morning.
You're getting up, marching and running around the house and exercising.
Army makes you realise that life is just not about the money.
There are so many experiences you gain from leading a life like this.
At the end of that you'll realise that it's not about the money.
You get to travel a lot, interact with a lot of people,
you go into various schools and colleges, you move around the country,
you see almost all the states.
It's an experience you'll never have again.
It was always exciting to go to a new place, meet new people.
New neighbourhoods, new friends.
First one was Binaghudi, then it was Deolali,
then it was Jalandhar, then it was Pathankot,
then it was Ambala, then it was Leh,
then it was Gwalior, then it was Ambala,
then we went to Tenga, then we came back to Ambala,
and then Pune.
Finally I did my graduation from Mumbai.
It was the best part of all.
I mean even now having stayed in Poona for the last 2 years,
I'm so bored of Poona now.
I wish I was in the Army and looking forward to my next posting.
I'd wind up all this business and go over to a new city.
The greatest outcome of life in the armed forces is the
comradery and bonding that take place.
Many of us are still there, still alive and kicking,
we still meet each other.
From the days that we got together in the Services Selection Board (SSB),
we went through NDA for 3 years, we went through Indian Military Academy.
Then we served for so many years, we're still great friends.
It can probably happen only in this kind of life.
This kind of a bonding you'll never get in the corporate world.
You just can't imagine.
They'll give you very fat pay packs.
But this kind of bonding will never come.
Comradery, there's no match as far as we are concerned.
If somebody is under distress, I'll go all out to help him.
In the war also if somebody is injured we never leave him.
We have a selfless attachment towards each other.
If I were to get a chance to live my life again, I would do the same thing again.
It was a fantastic experience.