Growing up in Dehradun, the Army had always held a special charm for Riya Nehra. When she was in class 12, she found her prince charming in a dashing cadet at the Indian Military Academy. They started dating and, soon after she graduated, got married in October 1999.
Though Somesh Srivastava was from Patna, and she from Uttarakhand, there was no resistance from the families. Everything was going well. She accompanied him to Ladakh, where the Engineers officer was on deputation with the Border Roads Organisation. As platoon commander at Taglang La pass on the India-China border, Srivastava was tasked with maintaining road connectivity.
In the initial days, the couple stayed in a hut in sub-zero temperatures, but the glow of a new marriage kept them warm. “Staying in those inhospitable and harsh weather conditions made me understand how difficult Army life was,” she said, adding that she found a new appreciation for the force on seeing their work in such climes.
About a year and a half later, she was in Patna to write her Master’s exams when the news reached her. Captain Srivastava, of the 15 Engineer Regiment of the Madras Sappers, died during a road-clearing operation in the Manali-Leh sector on March 4, 2001. His vehicle had crashed after skidding on an icy patch.
“The initial thought was denial,” said Nehra. “The first few days were tough. But after seeing his mortal remains, reality started sinking in.” She said that her husband, who was a civil engineer, could have chosen any career. But he used to tell her that, for him, the Army was not a profession, but a way of life.
She still remembers his warm smile. “He was a family man who was strongly dedicated to his profession and his men,” she said. “He was a religious man and started his day with prayer. He would also do charity whenever possible.”
On the day she received his body at Patna airport, she felt a calling. Though the tragedy had shaken her to the core, she also felt an inner strength to follow in his footsteps. But, she did not tell anyone. After a month, she told her parents about her decision to join the Army, and they were most supportive.
But she had no idea of what lay ahead. She researched on how to go about it, and started preparing physically and mentally. In late 2001, she approached the Service Selection Board in Bhopal; in March 2002, she joined the Officers Training Academy, Chennai. “I did not grow up thinking of joining such a tough profession,” she said. “So, it took me some time to adjust to the strict and disciplined life of the Army. We all have to go through extremely tough fitness training with no respite. Mental robustness was also one of the key areas of focus during training.”
Also read
- THE WEEK celebrates 'Veer Naris' who followed martyred loved ones into the military
- First lady
- Captain Neeta Deswal joined the Army within six months of her husband’s martyrdom
- Captain Shalini Singh: From young widow to wearing the olive green with pride
- Sushmita Pandey’s biggest tribute to late husband was joining his Army regiment
- The teacher who joined the Navy at 41 to preserve husband's legacy
She used to rise early for drill, followed by physical training and an obstacle course. She was taught battle tactics, weapons handling, and military history and laws. As she had the added trauma of losing her husband, the instructors worked more on making her mentally strong.
“Once you are part of the Army, it becomes your family and that family grows,” she said. “Every time I hit a roadblock, I reminded myself that I had come a long way.”
In September 2002, Lt Nehra graduated from OTA and pinned on her husband’s stars with pride, something she counts among her biggest achievements. She was assigned to the Ordnance Corps and posted to Delhi. A short service officer, she completed the mandatory service period in 2007, stayed for a year more and retired as captain in October 2008. There was no permanent commission, so she walked away. It was an emotional day.
In the Ordnance Corps, she managed warehousing and logistics of critical stores, and served in remote locations in Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. Nehra is now with an Indian multinational outsourcing company as a business consultant specialising in sourcing and procurement.
Work aside, she loves creating new recipes and styling food. She was in the top 40 in season six of MasterChef India, and intends to make a career in food. Her Instagram feed is filled with beautiful pictures of her dishes. “My stint in the Army changed me as a person,” she said. “My perspective while looking at challenges changed totally. It has been my superpower all these years.”