Portrayal of a Soldier's Wife

I recall when I was younger and dreamed of having a good husband. My hands were yellowed when I turned 18 years. I was married. It was a great joy to be found my hand-holder with whom I would be in companionship for the rest of my life. Post marriage, we were blessed with two daughters. 

Everything was fine up until that point, but an epistle ruined every dream I'd seen. My husband was assigned to a critical mission in Amritsar. Surya was a soldier, and I discovered it right away. I wondered why he had kept this from me. My in-laws responded that they did not want me to leave their family after marrying their son.

I had no choice but to relocate to Amritsar, weeping over the shattered pieces of my dreams. From there, my family and I became a part of a nomadic lifestyle, moving from station to station and being separated from my husband for extended periods of time. My husband's presence in some of the country's sensitive areas was always a source of concern for me.

Meanwhile, it was a huge challenge for me to provide for my daughters' nutrition and education while also serving at home. Every year, the only respite from the toil was when Surya returned home for a few days on leave. Words were always limited for us after a long time, but meeting him was fleeting...once in a blue moon. My in-laws, on the other hand, were always trying to make things happy.

When I used to see my childhood friends, their favourite topic was to brag about their husbands in front of me, hoping to make me envious. But I knew their husbands were worth praising, whereas mine were worth remembering. I would not hesitate to refer to myself as Surya's shadow. Because I, too, am a part of living a nomadic life like him.

Furthermore, there isn't much of a difference between us. I am responsible for protecting and looking after my family in a difficult situation, while he protects all Indian families, including ours. And those are my words of pride.