Agniveer fulfils dream, but dad not here to cheer

RAIPUR: When 19-year-old Hisha Baghel marched at her passing out parade as the first batch of women Agniveers at INS Chilka on Tuesday, she had no clue that her father, who inspired her to join the armed forces, is no more. Her family didn't tell her about her father's death lest it affect her training.
Hisha is the first woman Agniveer from Chhattisgarh. She was in a batch of around 2,600 recruits, which included 273 women, who completed their initial training at INS Chilka in Odisha on March 28 and joined the Indian Navy.
Her family lives in Borigarka village, around 15km from Durg city and 50 km from state capital Raipur.
Komal Baghel, Hisha's elder brother, told TOI, "She is coming home in the second week of April. We have not yet told her about our father's death. We didn't want her to lose the spring in her step as she marched towards the dream they saw together."
On March 3, 2023, Hisha's father Santosh Baghel lost his battle with cancer. Hisha was then in the last leg of her training. Her family decided to keep the tragic news from her so that she can continue to focus on the dream that they had seen together.
Santosh Baghel drove an autorickshaw to provide for his family but they had to sell it off when he was detected with cancer in 2016. Santosh shared her passion for the armed forces and encouraged her to sign up when the Agniveer scheme was launched.
"She was a good athlete, which helped her in achieving her goal. She was number one in the Agniveer physical tests conducted in Visakhapatnam," said Komal.
"We have been struggling financially after my father fell ill in 2016 as all our savings were spent on his treatment. He was the only earning member of our family. Even though my parents are not very educated, they always encouraged us to study. Beating all odds, Hisha fulfilled our father's dream," Komal further added.