He called twice that day, but we could not take his calls: mother

“My son was an all-rounder. The Navy has lost a bright officer,” said Dayawati Singh, mother of Lieutenant-Commander Kapish Muwal, who one of the two officers killed in Wednesday’s explosion on INS Sindhuratna.

Struggling to come to terms with the loss of her 28-year-old son, Ms. Singh told The Hindu that though she felt “honoured hearing about the supreme sacrifice her son made to save other sailors”, she could not take his calls on Tuesday, which unfortunately proved to be his last.

“He called up every time before going on a sail to take our blessings. He called up twice that day, but unfortunately we could not take his calls. I had no idea it would be his last call,” said Ms. Singh, whose two brothers have also retired from the Navy.

She, however, asserted that she is “proud” of her son’s sacrifice.

“He saved around 90 sailors by trying to control the situation despite not being on duty on the fateful day.”

Kapish’s father Commander (Retired) Ishwar Singh was also in the Navy. The family has been living in Shyam Vihar in Najafgarh in South-West Delhi after he retired in 2009.

Recounting his elder brother’s achievements, Ashish Singh said their father and the lifestyle of officers in the Navy inspired his “all-rounder brother” to join the force.

“He was a champion — be it academics or sports or even the Naval Academy. After scoring 90 per cent in his higher secondary, he got through Physics (Honours) at St. Stephen’s College. However, six months later he applied to the Navy. He was selected through technical entry,” said Ashish, who works with IT major HCL.

“He was adjudged the best cadet at the Naval Academy, for which he was given the Sword of Honour by the Chief of Navy Staff at his passing out parade.”

Ashish said the trial run of the submarine could have been his brother’s last sail as he was heading to the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for his M.Tech soon.

“He was being sponsored by the Navy for an M.Tech course. This could probably have been his last sail.”

Ms. Singh said the last time Kapish was in the city was for his birthday on January 19, when he also met prospective brides.

“I kept insisting that it was time he got married, but he was always busy with his books. He turned down my request saying ‘how will I become an Admiral if you keep insisting I get married’. But he finally agreed and we stared looking for a bride,” she said.