Martyred Army Major's wife tops SSB to join Army as a tribute to her Late husband

Pune, Feb 25: The wife of Major Prasad Mahadik, who was martyred in a fire at his camp in Arunachal Pradesh, topped the armed forces' recruitment examination SSB and has decided to join the Indian Army. Her joining the army is a great tribute to her late husband.

She competed with 16 candidates during the SSB and she topped the exam and qualified for training at OTA.

Post-completion of 49-week training at the OTA, Gauri Mahadik, a qualified company secretary and law graduate who recently topped the Service Selection Board (SSB) exam in the widow category, will be inducted into the Army as a Lieutenant by March 2020.

The 32-year-old will now undergo training at the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai and will join the army as a lieutenant after 49 weeks of training.

"After my husband's death, I was thinking what to do next...I thought I can not just sit and cry. So I decided that I should do something for him and make him proud.

"I decided to follow his footsteps and with a determination that I will wear his stars and uniform, started preparing for SSB examination," said Mahadik while talking to PTI from Virar, a distant suburb of Mumbai, over the phone.

Gauri's husband, Major Prasad Mahadik was an officer from 7 Bihar regiment of the Indian army and was killed in a fire in December 2017 when he was posted in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.

Gauri Mahadik said her parents and in-laws supported her throughout the journey post her husband's death.

Gauri Mahadik married the Army officer in 2015 and after he sacrificed his life in the line of duty, she left her job at a law firm in Worli, Mumbai, and started preparations for the SSB exam.

(with PTI inputs)