By Kamya Sharma:
I grew up hearing that, “because God could not be everywhere he created mothers.” Recently, I heard a bunch of kids discussing how they surprised their fathers on Father’s Day, and I realised that, for me, God is no one else but my dad, for he wasn’t always around. I guess that’s the thing with fathers in the armed forces.
When it comes to having fathers with uniforms and tonnes of responsibility on their heads, most of the time the child does not really get much time to spend with them. In my case, I was lucky, for where dad went, we accompanied him.
In the past 21 years, I have seen in my father the discipline, the courage, the honour and loyalty of a soldier that makes him stand apart. What I know and have learned is that discipline, duty, hard work and diligence were never just words in any defence household – they were the way to live, and they were displayed in day-to-day life.
There were moments when I was scared, not of the darkness, but the fear that gripped me when my father would go for an operation (to kill terrorists) was, “will I ever see my father again?” Many a time I would request him to stay back with me and my sister and send someone else instead. Well, I was selfish. But all he ever told me was, “Duty before Beauty my love!”
What we defence B.R.A.Ts (Born, Raised and Transferred, as we call ourselves) have learned from our fathers in the most unique of ways possible is, “not to worry about their absence but to honour their presence.”
Dad, it definitely wasn’t easy being the kid of an army officer, but you made this experience worthwhile. Thousands of people have called you lieutenant or captain or major or colonel or brigadier, but only two have called you dad! And trust me, of all the missions in your life you have done this one right!
For us, it’s Father’s Day when dad is home. Happy Father’s Day to all those fathers in the armed forces who did not merely teach us to live our lives, but set examples for us to emulate.