Taking pre-mature retirement from Army was not a happy situation particularly at a time when I had school-going children and no house to live in at a suitable place. I had selected Dehra Dun for children's education. On July 3, 1984 my family moved from Yol Cantt to Dehra Dun. For a few days, we stayed in the Officers Mess at Clement Town. We found a small accommodation on hire and moved there. Admission of children in schools was given priority. It was done without any problem. To find a job was my second priority. I tried for the job of Secretary DSS&A Board in Uttar Pradesh. I was lucky to get it. Uttarkashi district was my first posting where I joined on January 1, 1985. There was no office of DSS&A Board at Uttarkashi. Accommodation for office and Sainik Rest House was still under construction.

I arranged a meeting of ex-servicemen at the Forest Rest House, Barkot Tehsil where I was staying. I enquired from every man present in the meeting about his welfare and the problem he had. A few widows were also present there. At the end of the meeting, an ex-serviceman got up and told me that one of the widows present there had no document of her deceased husband. Her husband was also a military pensioner. There was no provision of ordinary family pension prior to January 1, 1964. It ws made on the orders of the Supreme Court. Consequently, a number of widows became entitled to family pension. That particular widow was not in possession of any document of her deceased husband and remained deprived of the benefit for no fault of her. As a welfare officer it became my duty to obtain the document. I asked the people present there if any of them knew when and where the said soldier was enrolled. An old ex-serviceman got up quickly and said that both of them were enrolled in the Royal Garhwal Rifles at Lansdowne on the same day. I was happy to hear that. I wrote a letter to the Senior Records Officer of Garhwal Rifles with a request to trace the service particulars of the said soldier with the help of the service particulars of the ex-serviceman who was enrolled on the same day. The Senior Records Officer took no time to send the requisite service particulars of the deceased soldier. He was found to be a military pensioner. So his widow was entitled to the family pension. I also lost no time to get her family pension sanctioned. She received a huge amount of pension in arrears. And I received thankful smiles.

In another case, a widow of Uttarkashi district was in possession of only a paper showing the pension payment order number of her deceased husband. Luckily, J&K was also mentioned there. So, I requested the CDA (P), Allahabad to send us the service particulars of the deceased soldier giving them the PPO number. The CDA (P), Allahabad promptly informed that the deceased soldier belonged to the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces. Immediately, I requested the Records Office of J & K Light Infantry and the Records, J&K Rifles for his service particulars. "He does not belong to our regiment" was the reply received from both the Records. Now what to do? I remembered GOC UP Area who was then the Colonel of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. I knew him as we had served together at Headquarters of Infantry Divion. I wrote to him about the present case of the widow and sought his help in of tracing the service particulars of the deceased soldier who had served in the J&K State Forces. Luckily, the General Officer was to visit the J&K Rifles Regimental Centre for the biennial conference. I was much delighted to receive the service particulars of the deceased soldier from the concerned Records without delay. Immediately, his widow's family pension case was initiated by our office. And within reasonable time she was sanctioned family pension. She came to my office beaming with satisfaction.

After five-and-half years stay at Uttarkashi I came to Lansdowne on transfer. Over the years, I gained good experience in solving pension problems of widows and also in liaisoning with the Records Offices. I am of the view that the problems of widows should be dealt with in a compassionate manner. I remember a case of Nk Alam Singh belonging to the Pioneer Corps who had disappeared enroute while going to attend a promotion cadre at the Training Centre. He was declared a deserter by a Court of Inquiry. His family was packed off and given no help in cash or kind by his unit. His wife was in distress. One fine morning, she came to my office for help. I found that Nk Alam Singh had already completed pensionable service prior to his proceeding to attend the promotion cadre. There was no adverse report against him. The Records of the Pioneer Corps had turned down his wife’s request for family pension and other financial help on the ground that her husband was a deserter. When his wife came to me for help, a good sixteen years had passed from the time Nk Alam Singh disappeared. The Court of Inquiry could not find out the reason for his disappearance.

I myself drafted her application addressed to the President, Central Army Wives Welfare Association, New Delhi and with my recommendation forwarded it to Mrs Rodrigues, the then President, Central Army Wives Welfare Association. With her intervention, the Records Office of the Pioneer Corps amended the unit Part-II order and made Nk Alam Singh a missing case instead of a deserter. Consequently, his wife was granted family pension. She received huge amount of pension in arrears. And I received thankful smiles once again. Everything is possible with the power of positive thinking.

There was a Widows Home located at the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre, Lansdowne. There were many IPKF (Sri Lanka) widows living there and attending vocational training. They were young and in need of job. I was aware of their problems. During one of my visits to the Records of the Garhwal Rifles, I discussed their problems with the Senior Records Officer. I came to know there were vacancies existing in Class-III and IV. Due to a ban imposed by the Army Headquarters, the same could not be filled up. I requested the Senior Records Officer for a copy of the relevant letter. I made a representation on behalf of the IPKF (Sri Lanka) widows and wrote a letter to Mrs Rodrigues with a request to help these widows in their placement against the existing vacancies with the Records Office. The Director General, Resettlement (DGR) took prompt action in this regard. Eligible widows were employed against the existing vacancies in the Garhwal Rifles.