Pradip R Sagar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: After 11 months of grueling military training, 38-year-old Swati Mahadik, a mother of two, and wife of Colonel Santosh Mahadik, who died during an encounter with militants in Jammu and Kashmir two years ago, was commissioned in the Army as an officer in the Army Ordnance Corps.

Express had reported first in April last year about the martyr’s wife’s future plans, when Swati Mahadik cleared the Service Selection Board test, considered a very tough test.

She had pledged at her husband’s funeral that she wanted to take forward the work of her husband Col Santosh Mahadik by joining the army.

Colonel Mahadik, son of a milkman in Maharashtra, died in an ambush on November 17, shot through the head and stomach, while hunting militants in the LoC forests. For his courage, Mahadik was given Shaurya Chakara, the second highest peace time gallantry award given to armed forces, during last year’s Republic Day.

While attending her husband last rites, Swati had said that she wants to wear the same uniform and carry forward his work. She believes that militants are provoked and misguided and in absence of proper education, they get into militancy.

On Saturday, Swati Mahadik was amongst 322 officers commissioned into Indian army after successfully completing their training from Officers Training Academy, Chennai.

Swati, a graduate from Pune University, was allowed to appear in the Army entrance test after being given special age exemption by former Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on the recommendation of the then Chief of Army Staff Gen Dalbir Singh. Swati cleared the written examination and then the interview and group discussions process after competing with candidates nearly ten years younger to her.

A determined Swati, had to admit both her kids in boarding schools in Dehradun to make herself available for nine months of rigorous training in the academy.

Santosh Mahadik, an officer from elite 21 Para of Special Forces was keen to develop tourism in the Kupwara, north of Kashmir valley. His colleagues describe him as a champion boxer, goalkeeper and runner; one of the fittest boys in school but in some ways he was more of an intellectual than a soldier, who used to invite writers, learned persons and thinkers to visit Kupwara, In fact, he would personally counsel ex-militants and show them the path to a new life, his colleagues say.

Another woman -- Nidhi Dubey -- was also commissioned as an officer today. Nidhi had also lost her husband who was a Naik in the Army.