Aashna Lidder recited the poem at a reading session on December 3
"An incomplete family for a complete nation, to sacrifice beyond your imagination..."
Aashna Lidder recited these lines from her poem, "Selfless Independence", at a book reading session on December 3. Little did she know then that in a cruel twist of fate, her father Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder would die four days later in a tragic helicopter crash that also killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 10 more defence personnel.
A video of 16-year-old Aashna reading her poem was shared on Twitter by former Puducherry Lieutenant Governor and India's first woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi, who attended the reading session.
"It was ominous when u listen to it. Life is very mysterious," Ms Bedi said in her post.
In the clip from the reading session, Aashna is heard saying she wrote this poem on Independence Day. The poem is called "Selfless Independence" as it is about people who are ready to give up their lives for other people "even though gratitude is not sure to come from the other end", she says.
As she goes ahead with the recital, she describes a "child who is fearless" and a "wife who is rudderless". Reading it now, one cannot help recount the heart-wrenching moment in which Mrs Geetika Lidder and Aashna gave the final farewell to Brigadier Lidder at Delhi's Brar crematorium yesterday.
"I am a soldier's wife..." Mrs Lidder said yesterday, displaying immeasurable bravery in the face of such loss.
"There is more sadness than pride... life now is very long but... whatever. If this is what God wants, we will live with this loss. But this is not the way we wanted him back," she said, fighting tears.
Describing Brigadier Lidder as a "very good father", she said Aashna will miss him.
Putting up a brave front, Aashna yesterday said, "We will go ahead with happy memories. It's a national loss. My father was a hero, my best friend."
Notably, in November-end, Brigadier Lidder was with Aashna in Delhi at the launch of her book, a collection of poetry named In Search of a Title: Musings Of A Teenager. Ms Bedi was also at the launch and General Rawat's wife Madhulika Rawat, who was also killed in the crash, was chief guest.
A fortnight later, all that is left of the moments are the memories.