Another day break and am happy that there is no OK report to be given to my CO and that I have no Seek Encounter party waiting outside to be briefed nor there is some pending job awaiting my immediate attention. With my eyes still not fully opened I saw my wife standing there with a cup of tea dressed to go out. Oh God I said I have to go to railway station to drop her. She is going to Mumbai for some official work. As I was getting ready my six year old son came to me and says ‘Dad, today I want you to bath me and drop me to school’. With great difficulty I was successful in convincing him that I had to go to railway station to drop his mother and that his granny will give him a special bubble bath.
0620 and the train leaves at 0710. I had precisely 20 more min to hit the road if Sheetal has to board the train. As I was wearing my shoes I gave a customary glance at my fish tank and found something missing. My 12 inch Golden Koi which is so prominent in the six feet tank was not seen anywhere. As I approached the tank my heart leaped out the Golden Koi was floating on the water with other fishes. God what has happened? I opened the lid to see what has gone wrong; a warm air hit my face, fearing some thing really bad I put the tumbler in the tank and took out sample of water and found it to be pretty warm, enough for even humans to be uncomfortable. Sheetal by the time got ready and came to the drawing room ready to leave. As she was leaving for Mumbai I didn’t want her to give the disturbing news of the tank tragedy and just told my maid to add cold water in the tank so that at least those that are surviving should not die.
After dropping Sheetal at railway station I came home. The water was being changed which took another hour or so. After getting ready I came to office and the moment I reached office I got a call from Sheetal asking how the tank tragedy happened and ended the conversation with the compliment that my mother said that I did not shout on any one and I was totally cool which was very uncommon cause I really get charged up if something goes wrong with the fishes. As I hung up the phone I thought over the compliment am I the same guy whom the men use to really fear ……………………
It was 13 Nov 0630 hr, just one day before I had come back from leave, I finished briefing my men and was leading the column with my team. The daily morning drill was to occupy the hospital picket and just 20 feet across the road there was another picket which was on
a shop, which was closed for security reasons.
The usual drill was to put a cordon around the village and occupy the heights as depicted in the picture by blue triangles.
0620 and the train leaves at 0710. I had precisely 20 more min to hit the road if Sheetal has to board the train. As I was wearing my shoes I gave a customary glance at my fish tank and found something missing. My 12 inch Golden Koi which is so prominent in the six feet tank was not seen anywhere. As I approached the tank my heart leaped out the Golden Koi was floating on the water with other fishes. God what has happened? I opened the lid to see what has gone wrong; a warm air hit my face, fearing some thing really bad I put the tumbler in the tank and took out sample of water and found it to be pretty warm, enough for even humans to be uncomfortable. Sheetal by the time got ready and came to the drawing room ready to leave. As she was leaving for Mumbai I didn’t want her to give the disturbing news of the tank tragedy and just told my maid to add cold water in the tank so that at least those that are surviving should not die.
After dropping Sheetal at railway station I came home. The water was being changed which took another hour or so. After getting ready I came to office and the moment I reached office I got a call from Sheetal asking how the tank tragedy happened and ended the conversation with the compliment that my mother said that I did not shout on any one and I was totally cool which was very uncommon cause I really get charged up if something goes wrong with the fishes. As I hung up the phone I thought over the compliment am I the same guy whom the men use to really fear ……………………
It was 13 Nov 0630 hr, just one day before I had come back from leave, I finished briefing my men and was leading the column with my team. The daily morning drill was to occupy the hospital picket and just 20 feet across the road there was another picket which was on
a shop, which was closed for security reasons.
The usual drill was to put a cordon around the village and occupy the heights as depicted in the picture by blue triangles.
On the fate full day as the search was about to start and the cordon was getting in position the militants opened fire from the south side of the road before we can react the militants fired a Rocker Propelled Grenade (RPG) which landed two feet in front of me and exploded with a sound which I can not explain in any words and in seconds I was totally covered by explosives powder and painted in silver as if some has put silver varnish on me. Immediately a second RPG was fired by the militants, which hit Gnr GRJ in between his legs taking the both thighs from inside. In seconds there was bullets flying everywhere and I was shouting at my top of voice at the radio operator to pass on the radio to me to pass on the instructions to my men in the cordon. Time went and the men in the cordon gunned down the militants in the paddy fields. But before that the injured were to be evacuated to hospital and were to be taken in the vehicles cause there was heavy blood loss. Already my more then half
Strength had already left to their respective places in separate direction and there was no extra men power, which I can use to cover up every thing.
By the time the reinforcement came my men had already killed the fleeing militants in the paddy fields (Shown by RED TRIANGLE). Four of them were killed. How lucky I am to be alive today the RPG fired and exploded in from of me but I am alive.
Bollywood isstyle what say??
Well not exactly there is some thing called as a safety fuse which takes some time to activate the main charges which are the real lethal ones which causes the grenade to explode in Splinters which are fatal to mortal souls like me.
Strength had already left to their respective places in separate direction and there was no extra men power, which I can use to cover up every thing.
By the time the reinforcement came my men had already killed the fleeing militants in the paddy fields (Shown by RED TRIANGLE). Four of them were killed. How lucky I am to be alive today the RPG fired and exploded in from of me but I am alive.
Bollywood isstyle what say??
Well not exactly there is some thing called as a safety fuse which takes some time to activate the main charges which are the real lethal ones which causes the grenade to explode in Splinters which are fatal to mortal souls like me.
Why such time delay??
This is just to safe guard the firer other wise he himself will get killed hence the time delay.
What exactly happened was when it hit the ground the grenade did not explode completely but the grenade broke open by the momentum with which it hit the ground and the blast was that when it was fired the rocket action of the grenade which gives it the forward thrust creates the shattering noise which freezes the blood of any soldier.
What I was then a strict soldier a disciplined man, a man who had responsibility of the state, his men under command, the commission honored by the president, the responsibility of being the commander of a Rashtriya Rifle Company the savior of the North, the force which broke the militant might into pieces the force on which Country will be proud of……………………….. Now a injured soldier who has been softened by time and circumstances but the principles are same the fire is still there only thing is the time and place is not right nor the opponents right to be the same roaring fire. ……ir Sir Sir , Maam is calling you’ ahh yes now things are different here but the flame is still there no panga leneka as they say a injures=d tiger is more dangerous then a fit one ;-).
This is just to safe guard the firer other wise he himself will get killed hence the time delay.
What exactly happened was when it hit the ground the grenade did not explode completely but the grenade broke open by the momentum with which it hit the ground and the blast was that when it was fired the rocket action of the grenade which gives it the forward thrust creates the shattering noise which freezes the blood of any soldier.
What I was then a strict soldier a disciplined man, a man who had responsibility of the state, his men under command, the commission honored by the president, the responsibility of being the commander of a Rashtriya Rifle Company the savior of the North, the force which broke the militant might into pieces the force on which Country will be proud of……………………….. Now a injured soldier who has been softened by time and circumstances but the principles are same the fire is still there only thing is the time and place is not right nor the opponents right to be the same roaring fire. ……ir Sir Sir , Maam is calling you’ ahh yes now things are different here but the flame is still there no panga leneka as they say a injures=d tiger is more dangerous then a fit one ;-).
2 comments:
diff situations diff moods ...from fishes dying in the living room to facing death yourself...
but i believe nothing could be more truer than being in a battlefield...things are much more plain and simpler... either you kill or get killed, live or die and at that point of time no egoes come in between you and your comrades all of you are just there... there for each other.
Very true Abhishek that there is no ego in between the men and officers but then this does not come in one day. It comes from long hard training schedule and the bonding created over the period that really makes the difference in our life. May be that is why we are little sentimental people or i must say sentimental fools :).
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