This Sprightly 65-year-old Was One Of The First Lady Officers Of The Border Security Force. Here’s Her Story

65-year-old, Saraswathi Ram shares her incredible journey of being a single mother and one of the first BSF lady officers. 

Twenty-eight years ago, Saraswathi Ram’s world turned upside down when she lost her husband, Sh. BSJ Ram, Deputy Commandant of Border Security Force (BSF) on active duty in Jammu and Kashmir. It was February 13, 1992 and Ram was now a single mother to her two daughters and a son — 8, 6 and 4 year-olds respectively. With sheer grit and determination, Ram braved all odds and approached the then Director General of BSF for a job, joining BSF as Assistant Sub Inspector and becoming part of the first batch of women officers in Border Security Force at the age of 39. Now 65, Ram carried forward her late husband’s passion of serving the country until her retirement and is a proud mother who single-handedly raised three children.

Saraswathi Ram with her husband, late Sh. BSJ Ram, Deputy Commandant of Border Security Force (BSF) on their reception day on August 29, 1980

“I met Anantha Chari, the then Director-General of Border Security Force, explained my situation and requested him to provide a job in the Administration Department of BSF to the educated women who lost their husbands and were living without proper support, on compassionate grounds. He considered my request and selected 25 ladies from all the ranks and appointed us as Assistant Sub Inspectors and Constables. We were posted in various parts of the country in 1994 and were the first batch of women officers to get trained in BSF,” remembers Ram.

After joining BSF, Ram along with 24 other women from her batch underwent army training for 10 months which included physical training like March Past, running, drills and firing with a range of weapons. Throughout her 18-year-long career with BSF, Ram served at several wings of the BSF, eventually retiring in 2012 at the age of 57.

“During my career, I have never given a single chance to any of my senior officers or subordinates to utter a negative remark about my professionalism even though I was a single woman working among a crowd of men who were indeed supportive of my children and me,” says Ram.

Ram on her way to office after joining BSF

Recalling her challenging working days, Ram says she had to wake up in the wee hours in the morning, around 5 AM, prepare breakfast and lunch for her children and get them ready for school. “After sending them off to school, I would get ready, put on my khaki uniform and reach the office by 8:50 AM on my Kinetic Honda Scooter. I used to live inside the BSF Campus in Yelahanka, Bangalore which was 8 km away from my office.”

Being a single mom working a demanding job meant multi-tasking. Ram would get a lunch break for one and half hours and she would utilise this time to get back home and prepare evening snacks for the children, reporting back to work at 3 pm., Once back home at 6 pm, there was no respite as Ram would help the children with their homework, cook dinner, and put them to sleep. “While being with my children, I ensured they were always happy and never gave them the chance to think that they did not have a father,” adds Ram.

Ram after taking the oath as a sub-inspector

Ram has a hearty laugh when she walks down memory lane and realises how innocent she was at the time of her marriage. “Mine was an arranged marriage and my life after that was full of thrills. While I was a girl from a typical orthodox Brahmin family, my husband was Assistant Commandant in BSF and I had to often attend parties that I had never been to earlier. Their lifestyle, social mingling and food habits were very different from mine. Initially, I would get confused, feel uneasy and upset. I also faced a massive language problem as I did not know how to speak in Hindi and could only speak English and my mother tongue which most of the others could not comprehend. However, my husband was a guiding light for me and helped me to socialise and freely mingle with various communities. Today, I love being in the company of friends with varied thoughts and I know to speak in 12 languages and Hindi with fluency.”

The first batch of women officers in BSF including Ram playing Holi at the BSF training campus

Losing her husband was a great blow and Ram always kept worrying if she would be able to educate her children well. “My elder daughter is an engineer, now settled in Canada, my son did an MBA in Finance and is working in Chennai and my younger daughter is a doctor, now settled in London. I feel super proud to see them do so well,” says Ram.

Post-retirement, Ram started exploring social engagement possibilities and making new friends until she joined Silver Talkies a few months back. “I am in love with this vibrant community of young seniors. It has opened up a whole new world for me. From yoga classes to music therapy classes, getting introduced to new friends and activities and learning present-day technology, Silver Talkies has made my life colourful especially during the Covid days,” says Ram.

She believes that not panicking in a situation, being bold and being proud to be born as a woman can make her overcome all obstacles and live with dignity. From the time she asked the Director-General of BSF for a job to the service she finished with dignity and hard work, Ram’s indomitable spirit is nothing less than an inspiration.