Having studied advanced levels in French, Divya Salaskar was inclined towards pursuing a career in the languages, even as her father, encounter specialist cop Vijay Salaskar, thought she should rather do an MBA.

“Just a few days before the incident, Dad said, ‘You don’t want to do MBA, leave it, do your languages.’ I was very keen on doing languages, I had started going to the library as I had taken a break for a year. But suddenly, life is all topsy-turvy. Now I want to do MBA. He wanted me to do it. That is one of the reasons why I said I want to do it somehow,” says Divya, a determined young girl, who has become a pillar of support for her mother.

Salaskar, ATS chief Hemant Karkare and Ashok Kamte were killed in an encounter near Cama hospital during the terror attack on November 26.

On Sunday after having taken another entrance exam for an MBA course, Salaskar’s only child Divya is pinning her hopes on the state-run MH-CET entrance exam in February. Getting back in track after the terror attacks, Divya has begun attending her MBA training classes for the past two weeks.

“Earlier maybe I had aims of getting into Jamnalal Bajaj institute. But so much has happened now, that I am just hoping to get admission. I have slowly started to get into studies. But when I open the book and sit, there are all sorts of thoughts in the mind which keep cropping up,” says the girl.

Divya and her mother Smita have begun stepping out and interacting with other victims of terror, which has been of immense help to come to terms with the death. Often asked if she wants a career in the police force, Divya says, “My father had a lion’s heart. I don’t have it. It takes something to become a police officer I don’t have it in me. I know for sure that 10 years down the line, I will make name for myself in the corporate world.”

Her mother Smita, who worked at a bank initially, has mostly been a homemaker. Now she is seriously thinking of doing some part time work or taking up teaching.

Her fondest memory, says Divya, is of a surprise visit made by Salaskar while he was away for work in Pune. Having been away for long, Salaskar just made the trip to take the family out for dinner and returned to Pune the same night. Salaskar was fond of collecting stones and an avid bird watcher. The family still wants to know what really happened to Salaskar as they come to terms with his sudden death.