Theirs was a relationship of love and commitment. It was molded across cities and military postings over years of shared dreams and memories, which only made it tougher—and more meaningful—to strengthen their bond. Nikita Kaul from a Kashmiri family based in Haryana, happens to be studying in the same university as her would-be husband Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal. She was doing engineering while he was a cadet at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. They got in touch through common friends, became great friends, and eventually married after almost nine years. It was love marked by distance; both of them understood what made it a special kind that grows with every passing year.
In February 2019, that love met its ultimate test. Just nine months into their marriage, Vibhu, as his friends and family fondly called him, was martyred in an encounter with Jaish-e-Mohammed militants in Pulwama. This was one of the most turbulent periods in recent Indian history as security forces went about tirelessly securing the region after the attack on a CRPF convoy. Maj Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal of 55 Rashtriya Rifles was one of the ones who had laid his life down for the country. It was a very grueling 20-hour-long encounter.
Nikita was on a train from Dehradun to Delhi when she received the news. She waited till she came back home to deliver the news to her mother but could not really fathom how enormous the loss was. “I owe my life to you,” she said in her goodbye to Vibhu, accompanied by a tearful “Jai Hind.” And with that, the following weeks passed by as she came to terms with what just happened to her-something stirred in her heart; a purpose, a way of giving him his due which would change her life.
She made up her mind to join the Indian Army while visiting the Military College of Electronics & Mechanical Engineering in Secunderabad, where a block had been named in honor of Vibhu. She knew all the sacrifices required, not only for herself but also for her family, yet her mind was set. She was encouraged by both her parents and her mother-in-law and dedicated her time to intensive preparation for the SSB exams emulating her husband’s steps.
Nikita has faced a very challenging path in every way. Entering OTA at Chennai when she was 29 years old, she was initially apprehensive about competing against the much younger cadets. Her family believed in her strength; at least, that was what they recalled of the smiling girl who hardly ever showed her pain. Though she was the eldest in her class, she passed all physical tests on the first try. She then proceeded to ace each subsequent phase of training at OTA. She proved her mettle and became a marksman there, impressing all her trainers with tenacity and dedication.
Nikita Dhoundiyal completed her training and was commissioned into the Ordnance Corps in May 2021, completing the circle for her. She spoke about taking the same path that Vibhu had taken in her commissioning statement. “I have gone through the same journey he has,” she said, feeling him along with her at every step of the way. “And it has only just started,” she said.
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Minutes after being commissioned, Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani praised Nikita, calling her an epitome of India’s “Nari Shakti.” Nikita Dhoundiyal’s mother-in-law Saroj Dhoundiyal felt proud of her strength after daughter-in-law Nikita talked about how she, with her daughter, had gone to collect Vibhu’s Shaurya Chakra that has been given posthumously to her son-in-law for his acts of bravery.
Nikita took up the mantle of service, honoring Vibhu’s legacy not just in words but in action. He is no longer with her physically, but she feels his presence, describing their relationship as one that transcends physical existence. And post on social media: “You said you loved me but the fact is you loved the nation more… Honoured to have you as my husband. I love you till my last breath.”
Her story is a testimony of the spirit of a soldier’s wife-a reminder when they suffer losses and heartbreaks, they hold up without any undaunted bravery. Wearing her own uniform assures Nikita that Vibhu’s service to his country lives through, not as a remembrance but as an allegiance continued to serve and safeguard.
