Army’s angels
Reviewed by Upendra Bhatnagar
Fast forward
by C.M.Nimbalkar.
Frog Books. Pages 157. Rs 150
This
book deals with three firebrand girls who are Army aspirants and want
to serve the nation. Parmeshwar Kumari Malik (Pam), Anushka Limaye (Anu),
and Radhika Sharma belong to different strata of society and states,
but ultimately become bosom pals. They develop an attatchment with
each other.
Parmeshwar Kumari joins
the elite Intelligence Corps, Anushka Limaye becomes a Paratrooper and
Radhika opts for the Air Force as a pilot. Soon all the three get
separated due to professional compulsions but they remained in
constant touch. Parmeshwar Kumari Malik belongs to a conservative Jat
family of Haryana. After a strong protest by the family members, she
emerges as victorious and ultimately in pursuance of her studies joins
IAS coaching. A newspaper advertisement changed her vision for life.
The advertisement read: "Commission in Army for Women". She
applied and got selected and ultimately joined Officer's Training
Academy, Chennai. Anushka belonged to an Army officer's family. Her
father Lt. General Madhukar Limay was a third-generation officer in
55th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. Fully supported by the
family, Anushka joined family tradition by joining the Army. Radhika
Sharma’s husband Major Rajeev Sharma of 344 Air Op Flight Wing was
posted at Bareilly Air base. During a rescue mission, he lost his life
as his helicopter crashed. On compassionate grounds, Radhika was
offered a commission in the Indian Army. She qualified and joined the
Indian Air Force. Circumstances once again brought them together when
they had to launch an anti-terrorist operation and the three Angels
were an integral part of the mission. The happiest moment was when
Col.Sudhir Verma proposed to her and the same was accepted with the
blessings of both the families. The book is written simply and is a
good read.
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