While the entire nation mourns for the sacrifices made by our soldiers, nothing can be compared to the loss their family has to bear.
This post by Humans of Bombay talks about the wife of a martyred soldier who refused to remarry after her husband passed away and still cooks his favourite meals.
She met Major Padmapani in 1995 when she was travelling on a train with her great aunt. They locked eyes and it was love at first sight for them. She revealed that she was smitten by his impressive presence.
After he caught her blushing, he sat next to her and started reading a book. She said that after her aunt slept, they spoke and spent the night looking into each other’s eyes.
When we arrived, Major left his book behind– his number was inside. I got home and called him but his mom answered. She said– ‘Major is gushing about you!’ I was delighted.
Soon after this, their families met and they tied the knot.
We spoke different languages, so I learnt Hindi for him. He was romantic too–while he was away he’d make his sister buy me nail polish. He’d surprise me by coming home early too.
After three years, she got pregnant and they were very excited. However, he was soon called for Kargil War and nothing was more important for him than his country. He didn’t tell her the reason but reassured her that he will be back soon.
He’d write to me from Kargil, ‘Look after our baby; I can’t wait to hold both of you!’ When I realized he was in Kargil, I was anxious. Still, he sounded positive.
She recalled the day when her in-laws told her that he was martyred in the war. While she was sad about the fact that she became a widow, she was still proud that her husband was a martyr.
After crying for weeks, she pulled through for their child and gave birth to a girl after 3 months. She revealed that their baby girl looked exactly like her husband and she knew he would live on through her.
Major’s family even offered to remarry her, but she declined to honour his legacy. She lived with them and ran her own business. She built a team for providing emotional support to families who lost their loved ones in war.
She threw light on how she feels as if he’s smiling at her when she’s with her daughter. She still keeps her husband a part of every celebration by cooking his favourite meal: idli, sambar and dosa.
It’s been over 25 years and I still have moments where I have to convince myself that he’s not coming home from the station.
These are the stories that keep our faith in love alive. You can read the complete post here: