Against all odds

Mona

Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws, writes Barbara Kingsolver. And it is so true about these four mothers we meet this Mother’s Day. 

Their husbands did the supreme sacrifice for the motherland, leaving behind these fierce women who snatched their fair share of the sun for their children. They stepped up to fulfil the dreams they saw with their spouses. From picking up a job to picking up the pieces of life, these women have marched on and we are happy that a few of them have found love again for themselves and for their kids.... 

Dealing with life

When life dealt her with the worst, in a fit of rage Shalini threw the temple out of the house. The fateful Thursday, she was fasting when she got the news that her husband Maj Vivek Singh Bhandral (Sena Medal), a para commando, was killed in action during an encounter with terrorists in Kupwara in August 2002. All of 32, she overcame the rude shock to spend her 24x7 tending to her autistic daughter Arushi as she struggled to make sense of her life. 

“What saved me was the thought of my daughter. She needed constant care and that’s all I did, moved to Chandigarh where she could go to a special school, taking tuitions at home and later picking up a job with a centre for special children as a co-ordinator - that meant I was around her, all the time.” 

Getting over the bitterness, as she restored faith in life there was yet another blow waiting for her. She lost Arushi too. “My world came crashing down second time around,” she recalls, her eyes getting moist. 

Live for what you have—this has been this strong woman’s motto and she got back into her teaching job. 

As they say whatever happens, happens for a reason. It seems there was another daughter waiting for Shalini’s care. As friends and family played the match-maker, Manu and his daughter came into the picture. “As I got to know that he has an eight-year-old daughter, I decided to meet Manu.” 

As luck would have it, not only the two clicked but his little girl found all that she longed for in Shalini. This duo has put the past behind and weaved a nest of happiness, together. If the father-daughter duo calls Shalini their lifeline, her ageing mother-in-law breaks down sharing how Shalini has not just been a mature, practical woman but has brought much needed love in their family. 

“Long back, I stopped bothering about material losses; one can lose a loved one and not do anything about it! The memories and the relationship remain forever treasured in heart, but life has to move on”

Take the first step

All of 21, Neelam was in her village Racholi, Rampur Bushehar (HP) gathering woods when a telegram brought her the worst news of her life. Having lost her husband Sep Nand Lal in Sri Lanka, this matriculate woman was left to fend for her two sons. 

“Though I was very young and naive, looking at my kids made me think what’s the fault of these innocent children if their father is no more.” Brave one, she braced herself, dared to get out of the village to pick up a job and bring up her kids. 

It has not been an easy journey but as she brought some semblance of life, she lost her younger son in a freak accident. “That was another blow but I kept working and taking care of my son, deriving strength from my son who needed me the most.” 

There was a lot of learning to do, while finding her ways of the city life and managing her late husband’s land back home. “Life doesn’t stop for anyone. It has to go on,” she shares.

Don’t give up

Once you have decided, nothing is unachievable, believes Savita Rana. Back in 1996, as she waited for her husband Lt Col SS Rana’s (Ashok Chakra) return, she received the news as how he valiantly fought and laid down his life fighting insurgents. As an Army wife, she was proud of her husband’s feat – not only he destroyed terrorist camps but also killed three foreign mercenaries, one of them in hand-to-hand combat- before he was fatally wounded in heavy crossfire. But that didn’t change the fact that she had to play both the mother and father to her daughter Smarika who was in class 10 at that time and son Rishi, mildly challenged. 

“That was a rude jolt but when I thought of bravery my husband had shown, I resolved to bring up the children in befitting manner,” says Savita, something that she has truly done. Twenty years on, both her kids are settled and married. 

But not that the mother in her has stopped investing in their future. “You know, what made me got over my personal loss was my determination to give my kids the best of life. I would have otherwise been lost.”

“Never ever give up. Once you have decided, you will figure out the way this way or that!

A second chance

When Major Inderjeet Singh Babbar (Kirti Chakra) laid down his life for the nation, killing three ultras, the nation acknowledged his heroism as did his wife Jaya and daughter Preamvadaa. “If he can do this, why can’t I pull myself up and give our girl the life we together dreamt of,” was the thought that made Jaya brace for the tough life ahead. 

Not a follower of any religion, as she created a new life. She became part of NGOs. The law of karma? Few years on, as she and Preamvadaa waded through life, they found a partner in Rajiv Chanana, who wished to have a daughter of his own! Withinmonths of their first meeting, the two were married and now they can’t thank their stars enough. “Lucky are those who get a second chance,” shares Jaya. Similar is the feeling reciprocated by Rajiv, “Both of us have seen many ups and downs in life, it’s an honour to have  Jaya and Preamvadaa by my side.”