From Army Kid to Teacher: The Tale Of a Martyred Officer’s Wife

Major Navneet Vats was killed in action in Srinagar in November 2003. This is the story of his wife, Shivani Vats.

The second episode of ‘Undefeated’, titled Virtue of Courage, is a peek into the life of Shivani Vats, whose husband was killed in action in Jammu and Kashmir in 2003.

Her husband, Major Navneet Vats, of the 4/3 Gorkha Rifles, died during a counter-insurgency operation by the 32nd Rashtriya Rifles on 20 November 2003. He was a part of a raid at a telecom building in Srinagar, where militants had been holed up for two days.

The makers describe Shivani Vats as “an army kid who understood the army life, a silent soldier always standing by her husband and giving him the strength to go ahead with his duty, a mother and a teacher helping shape futures.”

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Vats, who is currently a teacher with the Army Public School in Chandimandir (North Command), says that life in the Army is not easy. “Life is tough in the army. It’s not an easy job, a soldier’s life is tough and their family’s life is tougher,” she says.

Reminiscing about her first meeting with Major Vats, she says: “You can feel it in your bones when you meet the right match... I was so confident that yes, he was going to look after me. I knew he was going to look after me very, very well and that is exactly what happened”.

She reveals that on the day they were to be wed, Major vats had asked her if she trusted him. “I said yes,” she says, adding:

Even today I trust him completely. There is something about that man which makes him very different. He was a very good friend, an amazing dad and a husband par excellence.

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Vats is proud of her roles as the wife and daughter of Army personnel. Her joy is evident when she shows off the kukri knives on display at her house. Explaining their significance, she adds that she feels a sense of kinship with Gurkha soldiers.

The episode also features the couple’s daughter, Inayat, who says she hopes to see more empathy for the families of Army personnel.

Adding to her daughter’s statements, Vats says that she hopes families of Army personnel don’t have to go door to door seeking help. They must be provided for, she says.

Here’s the trailer for the next episode of ‘Undefeated’.