3 years after soldier’s death, his wife is an Army officer

CHENNAI: Holding memories of her late soldier husband in her heart and carrying their two uniformed children on her shoulders, 33-year-old Jyoti Nainwal joined 28 women cadets at the passing-out parade of the Officers Training Academy on Saturday.
Naik Deepak Nainwal died in May 2018 of injuries suffered while fighting terrorists in J&K’s Anantnag a month earlier. “I am the proud daughter of Deepak Nainwal,” said 9-year-old Lavanya as she waved at her mother from the gallery.
With her was her seven-year-old brother, Reyansh.
Jyoti, commissioned as a lieutenant, is the first member from her side of the family to join the Army. "I would like to thank my husband's Mahar Regiment. They stood with us through thick and thin and whatever I am today is because of the regiment," said the former homemaker from Dehradun. Jyoti had started preparing for the Service Selection Board test for entry into the armed forces officer cadre soon after losing her husband. On clearing the test, she underwent 11 months of training at the Chennai academy.
A total of 153 cadets were commissioned on Saturday. As many as 16 men and nine women from Afghanistan, Bhutan and Maldives, too, completed their training.
Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen CP Mohanty said women officers have been playing a significant role in the Army over the past few decades. He presented the Sword of Honour and OTA gold medal to ACA Siddhanth Sharma, the silver medal to BUO Dimple Singh Bhati and the bronze to BCA Muneesh Kumar.