Force behind the forces: Book captures lives of wives of slain army personnel

My thought process started taking shape after I met the wife of a jawan killed in action and who had been abandoned by her in-laws, 36-year-old Pandey told PTI.The book is titled The Force Behind the Forces.Noting that in the army fraternity the widow of an army personnel is always referred to as Veer Nari brave woman, the author said, I thought it was time to give wings to my thoughts and the process of scripting the valour of the Veer Naris started. Having penned two fictions, she said, she wanted to write a book based on real life stories.


PTI | New Delhi | Updated: 18-11-2021 17:44 IST | Created: 18-11-2021 17:44 IST
Force behind the forces: Book captures lives of wives of slain army personnel
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A soldier sacrifices his today for our tomorrow but an army wife sacrifices her tomorrow for our today, says Swapnil Pandey, a well-known defence author who has penned a book highlighting the sacrifices of army wives who lost their husbands in the line of duty.

Pandey, who is married to a lieutenant colonel, feels that the stories about the army wives who lose their husbands in the line of duty need to be told to the world as ''their sacrifice is no less than their better halves''.

''Actually, this book happened to me and as they say words control you and not the other way round. My thought process started taking shape after I met the wife of a jawan killed in action and who had been abandoned by her in-laws,'' 36-year-old Pandey told PTI.

The book is titled 'The Force Behind the Forces'.

Noting that in the army fraternity the widow of an army personnel is always referred to as 'Veer Nari' (brave woman), the author said, ''I thought it was time to give wings to my thoughts and the process of scripting the valour of the 'Veer Naris' started.'' Having penned two fictions, she said, she wanted to write a book based on real life stories. She had written 'Soldier's Girl' in 2017 and 'Love Story of a Commando' in 2019.

''I could not have found a better one than highlighting the sacrifices of army widows. Their stories are akin to someone rising like a phoenix from the ashes,'' says Pandey, who has previously worked with Wipro, HDFC and Lovely Professional University.

She says it is a myth that the wife of a soldier always lives in the shadow of her husband, and adds it is time to tell the world that the women behind the forces are actually their driving force.

''Writing this book was a brave decision. I so often faced writer's block as it was not easy to write about broken dreams, lost hopes and shattered families,'' she said.

Pandey has included seven chapters about seven army couples in her book and made attempts to capture the untold moments of the brave women who suddenly had to take control of the shattered families after their husbands were killed in a gunfight with terrorists or at the border or in some crashes.

''These are not reel types of love stories which are being imagined by our new generation, but real-life love stories where couples have been separated in extraordinary situations and destiny snatched away their partners in the most brutal ways,'' the author said.

Recalling her meeting with Bengaluru-based Salma Shafeeq Ghori who lost her husband Major Shafeeq Mohammed Ghori in 2001 in the line of duty action in north Kashmir, Pandey said, ''When I asked her what is so special about military love stories, she replied that her husband was, is and will remain forever and added after a pause, 'I hope the nation will remember that we (war widows) sacrificed our tomorrow for their today'.'' She said the book, which has been published by Penguin, is an attempt to tell thousands of grieving 'Veer Naris' that they are not alone and that ''we respect their sacrifices''.

In his comments which are part of the book, former Army chief Gen V P Malik said the author and her book leave the reader with pathos and great respect for every 'Veer Nari'.

''These are real-life stories of brave hearts who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation and their very courageous spouses. There is valour, there is grief, strength and determination,'' Gen (retired) Malik said and added that every chapter of the book, which shows interweaving of duty and romance, touches the heart.

Noted social worker and motivational speaker Vikas Manhas termed it a book with a difference. Libraries are full of books on soldiers and their valour, but kudos to the author for ''bringing out sacrifices and valour of the women behind them'', said Manhas who has been meeting families of slain soldiers for the last 20 years.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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