india

Updated: Feb 19, 2019 22:34 IST

Indian army major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, 34, who was killed on Monday during an encounter in Pulwama, was looking forward to celebrating his first marriage anniversary in April this year and had made plans for the same along with his family, his sister Vaishnavi Dhoundiyal said.

Major Dhoundiyal, who belonged to the 55 Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army, is survived by his wife, three elder sisters, mother and his grandmother. Major Dhoundiyal was the youngest in the family. His wife, Nitika Kaul (27), who works in a multinational company in Delhi said that she met the love of her life around four years ago in Delhi.

“There was nothing dramatic or extravagant; ours was a very beautiful and simple love story. Our bond strengthened over the years and became stronger after marriage. Even though we lived far away, he was very caring and respected all my decisions.”

Major Dhoundiyal spoke with his wife last on Sunday night, before he left for the operation that would be his last. “He always informed me before leaving for operations. This time also he informed me and that was the last time we talked,” said Kaul.

“I am not helpless; my husband was a braveheart,” said Kaul, adding that when a woman marries an army officer, she is trained from day one to face the situation she is facing now.

Kaul, who hadn’t eaten anything since she received the news of her husband’s death, was being fed black grapes by her sister at the Major’s residence on Tuesday, when she suddenly stopped eating and said: “Black grapes were Vibhu’s (Major VS Dhoundiyal) favourite.”

Kaul stopped eating and looked at a photograph of the major on the table next to her. The family hadn’t even gotten around to putting up wedding photographs of the major and Kaul and were planning on doing so, Vasihnavi Dhoundiyal said.