Lost soldier husband in 2015, Samba’s Neeru Sambyal dons olive green
Choosing between performing rituals of an army man’s widow and to crack Services Selection Board (SSB)in 2015, Lieutenant Neeru Sambyal of Samba was clear about her choice, even in grief.
Married to rifleman Ravinder Singh Sambyal in April 29, 2013, Neeru who lost her husband just after three years of marriage took up the challenge of raising a child on her own with all courage.
“My husband’s death was the biggest shock of my life. But being a soldier’s wife, I wanted to continue his legacy, not for anyone else but for my daughter,” Lieutenant Neeru Sambyal says during an interview to Hindustan Times at her in-laws house in Bara village on Sunday.
Donning olive green, Neeru passed out of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai on September 8. Today, 29-yearold is all set to join 2 Mountain Division in Assam along with raising her daughter Sanidhya Rajput (Shine).
She says, “Shine’s father had big dreams for her. He always motivated me to do something in life but after his death his pension was not sufficient for me to raise Shine. My husband had said that even if he will not be with us, he will leave us a big family — army.”
Taking her husband’s words as motivation, Neeru got in touch with the commanding officer of his husband’s unit — 2 JAK Rifles — to crack SSB.
She cracked SSB, joined OTA on September 29, 2017, and underwent rigorous 11-month training.
“These stars on my shoulders are fruit of my struggle. I finally made it and I am happy,” she says.
She says, “When I saw his body, I promised him that I will not let him down and I will do something big in life. I didn’t want people to forget his name so easily. I think I have made him proud today.”
‘INSTILL CONFIDENCE IN YOUR DAUGHTERS’
Neeru is all for motivating young women and instilling confidence in them.
She says, “Never tell your daughters that they can’t foray into male bastion. Instill confidence in them. For married women, who are housewives like I was, they have to be mentally tough.”
“I have seen widows who think their husband’s death as end of their life. I also felt the same but be strong, don’t give away so easily.”
She also says that sympathy always makes one weak, adding that, “My parents never sympathised with me. They always empathised and that made me strong.”
‘MY DAUGHTER IS MY LIFELINE’
Neeru struggled staying away from her daughter during training and states distance between two more difficult for her daughter.
She says, “Initially, for a month, I missed her during my training but then hectic regimen kept me busy. The training made me emotionally strong. Now, I can face any situation, adding, “Whenever I missed her, I would call my brother, who would encourage me and later I would tell myself that it is for her only. It is only for you Shine.”
The lady officer says, being a mother, she missed her, but her daughter struggled more than she did.
“I can see a sense of deprivation in her despite the fact that my younger sister and my parents looked after her in the best possible manner,” she says. She further says, “Lieutenant Gen Abhay Krishna at the OTA did our pipping ceremony and I also got it done by Shine. I have captured those moments and want her to see those pictures once she grows up. I want her to feel that I did something for her.”
‘FAMILY IS MY DRIVING FORCE’
Neeru attributes her achievement to her father Darshan Singh Salathia, father-in-law Anchal Singh Sambyal, elder brother Varinder Singh Salathia and the army unit of her husband. “If it wasn’t for their support, I wouldn’t have made it.”