It is very hard to understand the difficulty a mother went through in raising her fatherless child. Captain Shalini Singh is a great example of this who was a former captain in army and a mother of a 16-years-old boy.
Shalini is a wife of late Major Avinash who was encountered in a terrorist attack happened in 2001, in Kashmir. When he was killed, he was just 29-years-old. Avinash was a defiant soldier who took down 4 terrorists before collapsing to his wounds.
When Shalini got married to Avinash happily and she remembers those rare phone calls of her husband when he used to be on duty because this was the only way of communication for them.
On September 28, 2001, one phone call has turned all the pages of Shalini’s life. The phone call was about her biggest loss of life which has turned her world upside down. At the age of 23, she found herself widowed and her 2 years old son fatherless. She was not able to decide how to react to the situation. Many times, she gave up to her life and tried to suicide but the time she glanced at her son then she realized how she can do such an irresponsible thing being a mother as she has a responsibility of a son. Then she decided to join army where everyone warned her about the physical and mental challenges she will face which will be really complicated with a toddler dependent on her, but she bravely accepted all challenges and faced difficulties. She made her son her strength, not weakness.
Before completing her post-graduation, she preferred to apply for the interview of Service Selection Board (SSB) for which she appeared for a week-long interview in Allahabad. Her son was too young to live without mother. During her interview, her parents waited outside in a park with the baby boy. She used to feed her son during the break time.
She began her training at the Officers Training Academy, in Chennai, in March 2002. It was a difficult phase for her to change the lifestyle from draping a saree into the uniform and boots.
20-days before the first death anniversary of her husband she was commissioned as an Officer in the Indian Army on September 7, 2002. Days have been passed and she gave 6 years of her life to Indian army. Before resigning she ensured the secured future of her son in Army.
She was crowned as ‘Classic Mrs India 2017 Queen of Substance’ at the age of 39 years on April 14, 2017.
The struggle of life never ends but it teaches how precious the time is and how we can use the time in our favor.
