The sacrifices I witnessed as a fauji kid taught me gratitude: Shraddha Srinath

Hailing from an army background, Shraddha Srinath’s memories of Independence Day are vivid. “It’s almost like a series of snapshots. The sportsday style uniforms we wore, the little paper badge which we hand-made at home and pinned on our shirts, the colourful ribbon that didi wore in her hair for Independence Day, the colourful sash across our shoulders…everything felt so special.

But for me, the best part about Independence Day was to see my father, Colonel Srinath, in uniform; on Independence Day, he wore something different, and he would look so striking on that day when he got ready for the army celebrations,” shares Shraddha. ‘GROWING UP IN AN ARMY FAMILY MEANT PATRIOTISM WASN’T JUST A WORD’Reflecting on her childhood memories of being an Army kid, Shraddha says, “My sister and I have grown up watching my father’s commitment towards the nation.

My mother would always remind me of the sacrifices soldiers make, how they are willing to give up their lives so that we can live free. Independence Day also felt special because all of us had such a busy day ahead of us, with mum being a teacher and she would wear a beautiful sari to work; dad would wear his special uniform to his unit and didi and I would wear our white uniforms.

We would always listen to the prime minister’s speech and watch the parade.

In the afternoon, we would all be back and listen to Lata Mangeshkar’s Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon.” ‘AN ARMY OFFICER’S LIFE IS ALWAYS SHADOWED BY RISK - WE WERE RAISED WITH THAT AWARENESS’ “Being a fauji kid gave me the opportunity to watch the sacrifices, commitment and bravery of army personnel up close. The postings took us everywhere — Bhopal, Belgaum, Assam, Masimpur, Secunderabad and Kashmir. My dad was away at postings in Srinagar, and a neighbourhood kid once asked me ‘What if your father doesn’t come back?’ I remember how unsettled I felt after he asked me that and realised how the families of army officers also live in the thin line between war and peace.

An army officer’s life is always shadowed by risk, and the families’ lives are marked by uncertainty during risky assignments. And as children, we were raised with that awareness — a combination of the Army’s example and our parents’ values shaping us into patriotic citizens,” says Shraddha.