World of Wonderful Wives

It is a legend, that the God almighty handpicks very special girls to be the army wives. ARMYWIVES! A word that instantly brings to mind varied images of independent, self assured, self confident, savvy and strong ladies, members of that sisterhood of women who have had the courage to watch their men go into battle, courses or long exercises. We women of steel have the strength to carry on with our duties and responsibilities until they return. We are often left behind like I am these days but surely never forgotten, we just carry on with our duties to which we must abide as a result of our marriage to the soldiers of the soil.

I am not being presumptuous but it’s a fact that within days we turn a desolate and deserted looking place into something liking a beautiful abode. Something that the family proudly calls a home. Nicely decorating it, with the treasures of our travels through the length and breadth of the country and abroad. Using hammer and nail, we tack the paintings to the wall, and the roots to the floor as firmly as if we have been living there for a lifetime. We are the breed which holds the family together and raise the best of the brats with best of the brains. No wonder that we have Karan Thapar, Sushmita Sen, JJ Vallaya, Priyanka Chopra etc all coming from the army background.

Unlike the our civilian counterparts, our time is measured not by years, but by postings for example we were married at Tezpur, our first baby came in Mhow, a special promotion in Udhampur, our second baby came in Jodhpur. Our husbands are often on the road, at the border, on a field, or on a course leaving us behind for weeks, months, and sometimes years. During these times we guard the home front and are always ready to help those around them, be it a friend in need, a sick child, an OR family, aging parents or in-laws.
But the sad part is that just at the moment we start calling a place our own its time to go to a newer place. What you never know is that it might be a big metro or the jungles of Assam. All through my married life what I have realized is that we area an ever optimistic lot thinking of the good, and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday, while anticipating tomorrow. Regardless of monetary pleasures and pay commissions our hearts overflow with a wealth of experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military life. Often called the “luckiest ones” I salute these ladies and wish they all could read this and know; How thankful the country is to have you and be loved by you, and how proud it is for all that you have done then, now, and later. Thanks and God Bless all of you and me !!