Shaku - The Making of a Veer Nari

Today, we in India are in a frenzied quest for jobs in the corporate sector, with an eye on the pay packets and connected perquisites, resulting ultimately even in relocating temporarily or permanently outside of India.

Against this background, this book is a humble attempt to bring to the knowledge of the world the saga of my dear cousin Mrs. Shakunthala Ajit Bhandarkar, wife of Lt Col Ajit Vasudev Bhandarkar, Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous). A braveheart who, despite the martyrdom of her husband, strongly supported the decision of both her sons — whom she had raised as a single parent — to join the Armed Forces.

Starting her life as a timid little girl who grew up in Madras (now Chennai), her gradual transformation into a woman of steel, and the finesse and capability with which she dealt with her roles as a daughter, lady wife, daughter-in-law, and finally, a single parent is a huge inspiration for women, especially for mothers who flounder in the dark, on the severance of the only solid support of the husband.

Her story is a testimony that brings to the fore the battles that a woman faces subsequent to this loss. These challenges from different quarters of society are capable of driving the woman to the edge.

To triumph over such adverse situations, and more importantly, repose faith and courage in oneself to ultimately face these challenges, nurture the children as a single parent, and ultimately, even support their decision to join the Defence Forces, requires extraordinary courage and unquestioning faith in destiny.

About the Author: Ex Capt. Ramdass Manjeshwar Kamath is an ex-Armyman, a Short Service Commissioned Officer of the 10th Battalion, The Mahar Regiment.

Post his release in July 1986, he pursued stints in the Corporate Sector, in his chosen field of Physical Security.

To start with he worked with BEML, Bengaluru, till January 1990. Next came a stint with Canara Bank till Oct 2006. Post a brief tenure at Syntel in Pune, he joined Infosys Mysuru, in August 2007.

The vast experience gained right from his Army days, was put to good use in managing the physical security of the massive flagship campus. While he attained superannuation on June 2018, his services were availed as a Consultant for a further period of two years, ending September 2020.

During his years in Infosys, Capt Kamath has seen more than two lakh fresh engineering graduates join the residential Mysuru campus.

He was the go-to person for almost all the issues of the trainees, working closely with the cross-functional teams like HR, Facilities and Computer Department, besides his own team of 750-plus security personnel.

Though his strictness earned him the nickname ‘Headmaster’, his kindness, and his inclination to go the extra mile to resolve problems and quietly lend a helping hand earned him his call-out name CAPTAIN — in the literal sense.

He was twice awarded the Infosys Excellence Award, the Infosys Oscars (Bronze in 2009 & Silver in 2015) as a Value Champion for upholding the company’s Value System.

He was a member of the Executive Council responsible for the smooth working of the campus. Besides being a member of the Anti-Sexual-Harassment Council, he was also a Trustee of the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Infosys Mysuru, named SOFTEN.

During his tenure with Infosys, the Mysuru Campus had literally become his first home… Now after retirement, he is catching up on his hobbies, and devoting himself to pursuits for which he had no time earlier. This is his first book.