It is said that behind every successful man is a woman. In this case behind brave Abhi is his mum Dr Shobha. Indian Air Force fighter pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan owes a lot to his mother Shobha Varthaman. No doubt a lot of credit goes to his upbringing and his father Air Marshall Simhakutty Vardhaman His mother Dr Shobha served in conflict zones across the world in Iraq, Haiti and Laos. She graduated from Madras Medical College and did her post graduation in anesthesia from the Royal College of Surgeons England.
She was a volunteer member of Medicine Sans Frontieres( MSF) doctors without borders. Her foray as an MSF medical director on the Iran Iraq border gave her an Insight into the situation there. She has seen sexual violence, HIV infected cases and women getting raped.She lived in tribal areas where people wore grass skirts, had feathers in their caps and carried a scabbard chopping people without a second thought.
