24-year-old Ruchi Verma is a young mother and an officer in the Indian Army. From being an officer’s lady to undergoing tough training, she did the cross-over and was formally inducted, with 184 other cadets from Officer’s Training Academy in Chennai.
Her decision to join the army came after her husband Major Vineet Verma was killed in counter insurgency operations in Assam.
“When Vineet was alive, I had a comfortable life. Servants always carried my bags. I travelled by car for even a distance of 100m. And then, as my training started, I had to run, carrying heavy weaponry,” she was quoted by Times of India .
The transition from ‘veer nari’, a title given to army widows, to rigorous training was a turning point for Verma.
“When my husband passed away, the responsibility fell on me to fulfil several of his roles, including taking care of our child and serving and safeguarding the nation in his place,” said the mother to a five-year-old son Akshat. She hopes her son will join the army when he grown up.
“I feel fitter and ready for battle now,” she said.