The Army’s Daughter Story Will Inspire You. War and nature snatched away her family but could not strangle the indomitable spirit of an 18-year-old girl from Leh who with the help of the Army clawed her way back from despair to emerge as a role model for hundreds of students in the prestigious Army Public School (APS), Dagshai, in Himachal Pradesh.
Tsewang Dolkar of Choglamsar village of Leh passed her Class XII with 89% marks, no small feat for a girl who lost her father, sepoy Pasker Tander, during the Kargil war in 1999 and mother and relatives in the 2010 cloudburst in Leh. A visit to nearby Saboo village had saved her while her sister Kunzand survived thanks to the strong walls of a school hostel. Both were studying at Mahabodhi School near their village when the calamity struck. Rubble had swamped Choglamsar, claiming lives of most of the villagers with whom the two had shared toys and emotions. “When I returned, everything was destroyed. I could not even see the face of my mother for one last time,“ said Tsewang, who along with her sister was adopted by the Army’s Ladakh Scouts regiment in which her father had served. The Army’s western command decided to bear the expenses of the girl, pledging to take care of them till they were settled in their lives. Both were admitted to APS in October 2010.
Also called ‘the Army’s daughter’, Tsewang has decided to dedicate her life to the institution that handed her an opportunity to succeed. T sewang Dolkar of Choglamsar village of Leh said, “Army has given us sec ond life and taught us how to face adversities. It would be an honour if I could join and serve the Army .“ She is eyeing admission in Delhi University under special quota.
She said the school too helped her forget the dark memories, preparing her to face the challenges of life. On their part, school principal S K Mishra called Tsewang a very decent and disciplined girl with strong leadership qualities. Shammi Ahluwalia, an English teacher in the school for the past two decades, said when Tsewang had joined, she was scared and reserved but she amazingly improved and was elected prefect of one of the school houses (Indira). Tsewang is now ready to exhibit her leadership qualities in her second innings.
Source: timesofindia.com
