By now, the whole nation knows that IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who kept his cool in the face of capture by Pakistan, is a total badass.
But did you know that his mother, Dr Shobha Varthaman, is no less a badass herself? Dr Varthaman is a doctor with Medicine Sans Frontiers, an international humanitarian NGO, and has provided medical help in the toughest of conflict zones, reports News18.
“She has served humanity amidst cataclysmic violence, healed the wounded in some of the worst conflict zones around the world, ensured mothers and their newborn survive post-delivery complications in Haiti.”Retired Group Captain Tarun K Singha, Family Friend, to News18
And as Deepa Balakrishnan and Poornima Murali write for News18, a “bad attitude and a bold mother” was what helped make IAF Pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.
Dr Shobha’s fortitude is visible from the fact that despite having her son captured by the Pakistani army, when a family friend emailed her offering solidarity, she replied within 15 minutes, as reported in the News18 article.
Some of Dr Shobha’s postings have been the Ivory Coast in 2005 and Liberia and Nigeria post the civil wars.
Not only that, Dr Shobha, who is also into activism, ran an online petition to increase the quantum of punishment for child sexual abuse offenders about two years ago.
Beyond a doubt, Dr Shobha’s tenacity is amazing and her work, her commitment to humanity, is salute-worthy too.
Of course, now both of Abhinandan’s parents, Air Marshal (Retd) Varthaman and Dr Shobha have become the nation’s most ‘high-profile’ couple, being given a standing ovation on a flight while on their way to New Delhi, en route to Wagah Border in Amritsar to meet Abhinandan upon his release.
The IAF pilot and nation’s hero Abhinandan sure is a badass, but now we know where at least a large part of Abhinandan’s badassery comes from!
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)