Rakul Preet Singh: My dad's time in the Indian Army made me strong emotionally

Hindustan Times

15-06-2025

Rakul Preet Singh's entire life has been shaped by the fact that she is an Army kid. Her father Col (Veteran) Kulvinder Singh served in the Regiment of Artillery, the Arm which fires long range guns, rockets & missiles.
Today, on the occasion of Father's Day, she looks back on her formative years with fondness, even though her father would have to be away at a stretch sometimes for duty, 'I grew up in the cantonment, so everyone you know is an Army kid. You think that's a way of life, you don't know any better as a kid. Everyone's father is visiting for a month or a weekend. There would be field postings and peace postings. You become so strong emotionally,' she shares.
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Rakul also remembers how the distance never meant the love between her and her dad lessened even a bit, 'There were no mobile phones in the 1990s, we used to talk to dad on trunk calls. When he was stationed in the North East around 1999 due to disturbances at the border, a mediator would pass on our message to him 'sahab bacche chocolates laane ko bol rahe hain', we could hear dad's reply but he couldn't hear us. Today, this helps me in a way that trolls don't affect me. I have seen such strong parents.'
Operation Sindoor was India's answer to the neighbours over growing terrorism. How did Rakul look at it from the POV of an Army kid, who has lived through uncertain times where her own father had to be on the field, we ask. She says, 'I have seen it. Post Kargil, there was Operation Parakram, Forces were deployed again, my father was deployed too. For three months we didn't know whether our forces are coming back, or what is the situation. Then there were disturbances on the border in North East around 1999. I have heard stories of a shoot at sight order on my dad (from the enemy). Childhood se pata tha... you see life from a different lens. Which is why I feel most Army kids will be balanced and centered. You have grown up in an atmosphere of being fearless, small issues are not an issue at all in life. During Operation Sindoor, my dad and I were glued to our TVs and constantly in touch.'
'It's been a wonderful experience, being a father to Rakul. We were two brothers in our family, we didn't have a girl. Rakul was the first girl child. It's something I am sure my parents missed. Any family is incomplete without a daughter. As for me being away for the nation's duty when she and her brother were growing up, my wife should answer this because she was the one handling the kids. One thing for sure common between both Rakul and Aman is that they never troubled her. They would not get cranky that papa is away. My wife did a wonderful job bringing them up. Rakul has seen me stay away for operations for years, like Operation Vijay and Parakram. It is a foregone conclusion that wars do not resolve anything. However when things go beyond a particular level, some kind of punitive action is required. Our honourable PM took a wonderful stand with Operation Sindoor.'- Col (Veteran) Kulvinder Singh