When Nimrat Kaur tweeted, “The warmest, most valiant, virtuous man, who’s short but large life continues to be a marvel... Late Maj. Bhupender Singh, my handsome, brave father of this lifetime and many before journeyed on 25 years ago today. Your light lives on. Until we meet again Papa..somewhere, sometime,” in remembrance of her father, back in 2019, it spoke volumes about the vacuum that the absence of a loved one creates, especially in the families of martyrs who feel a sense of loss and pride in the same breath. Nimrat’s father was assassinated in Kashmir seven days after he was kidnapped from his place of duty. It was 1994, and her father was 44 years old at that time. Nimrat was on a vacation with her family in Kashmir to visit her father when the incident occured.

Remembering her father with a deep sense of pride, Nimrat told Bombay Times, “I have had a first-person experience of my father being in the Army and losing his life in the line of duty. When you talk about people from the armed forces, you should know that these are the people who will do absolutely anything, including putting their lives on the line if it comes to it, to honour the responsibility of the uniform. They will do everything to protect the country from any and every danger. The Army is a unit that erases all cultural and religious differences. There’s nothing that keeps the men from standing united with one another. I just find all this so incredible.”

Nimrat added, “When I think of myself as someone who comes from that background and a daughter of a martyr, I feel very proud. I also feel a sense of pride to see Subedar Neeraj Chopra from 4 Rajputana Rifles regiment. His feat has made his family and all of us in India just as proud.”

Interestingly, Nimrat featured in the web series, The Test Case, where the protagonist (played by her) trained to be the first test case in a combat role in the Indian army. As a proud daughter of a soldier who laid his life for the nation, in what way does she feel the young generation can show their love and patriotism towards the country? “What we can do at all times is to respect the lives we have, do what we can to give back to society and be responsible, be cognisant of those who can’t look after themselves and be conscientious, and not enable or do anything wrong. If we try to be the best versions of ourselves, we are doing the greatest service to the families of the jawans and to the army officers who don’t see their families for months and years because of where they are posted and the circumstances they live in. We have to be respectful and grateful for the lives we have and the privileges it grants us. The last two years have taught us a lot; as humans, we tend to return to our humdrum and we forget what it was to swim against the tide. That’s the thing we need to avoid,” said the actress.