Capt Godbole: Baby proves to be a man

It was just another fine day with the sun shining bright over the mother earth and I was just thinking of the beautiful song Rose and was dreaming how the seeds will germinate into a rose plant and will start to bloom into beautiful roses. The roses unaware of the hardships of the seed and the parent plant will bloom and will bring joy to all without a sign of any past pain or grudges. My beautiful thoughts were broken by the usual emergency drills and the roaring sound of the Mi 17 Helicopter. Soon a emergency patient was wheeled in the ICU with all types of conduits coming from his body and all fancy bottles hanging from whatever make shift hanging points they can think of.

The day started with another sorry eventful day which by now I was used to. After some time Capt Vivek walked to my bed and with inquisitive eyes was asking me who the new friend is. Things were really serious it seemed as nobody was talking freely and all the doctors and nurses were too busy attending him. Time went by and it was only the next day when his wife had come that we came to know that the gentleman was Maj Banjo a Sapper officer and has landed here as mine casualty.

Everyday the birds used to chirp, the sun use to come up and go down, Sheetal use to come and go but I failed to see any smile on that Officers’ wife ‘s face. Time was ticking and we all were anxious to meet the Major and greet the valiant son of Bengal. But the time was not just perfect for us to meet him because this officer was in a really bad shape for us to talk to.

Capt Vivek the tall smiling Mallu was there one fine morning waking me frantically. I woke up to see Vivek starring at the empty bed of Maj Banjo. The sight we never want to see ever. The bed was properly laid up and cleaned, the side table was empty and we did not have the courage to ask anybody about the mystery of this empty bed. Soon Sheetal came with a beautiful smile on her face and with chirpy voice she said coffeeeeeeeee for the brave hearts. But when she saw our blank faces she gauged something is wrong and soon unwound the mystery of empty bed. Maj Banjo had gone to the ophthalmologist who had specially called from Delhi and since he was only for a day he had gone early in the morning. I think the coffee never tasted so good in the last one year in the hospital. That evening me, Vivek and Maj Banjo then had a long discussion as to how all this happened and what he told us was too difficult for us to sleep upon.

Though we all had come in the hospital by doing something or the other in the battle field like situation but still this was too much for us to be at ease. For every soldier I think it is not his life that is more precious but it is the people whom we leave behind are more precious and the thought of them brings the real chill up our spine.

The incident that he narrated really made us proud of these great men, the men whom the world will forget but for us they are always a constant source of inspiration and the men of action and the men who understands what really is responsibility and pride of performing a job.

On the fateful day which was not that very suitable for the job which was planned the gallant force of the Sapper took up the task. The task was the most dreaded one and that is demining the operational area in which the mines were laid almost a year ago. How to find them, how to locate them, and how to actually disarm them is a challenge which freezes the blood of the bravest of brave soldier. The task was taken by the company of Maj Banjo and his faithful aid Capt Godbole. They took up the challenge to venture into the mine field and clean up the area of all mines. Soon with the time mines were being pulled out of mud cleaned and very elegantly disarmed.

Ok let me ask you something. What is the damage you expect if something goes wrong with a particular mine? Hmmm I know difficult to answer that. Ok let me tell you if it is a anti personnel mine then one losses a leg and if it explodes in the hand then the hand will never finger anybody cause they will not be there after that. What if it is an anti tank mine, the mine that can make the battle tank off road? Well no marks for that answer. Yea you are right, the person will just vanish in real and literal meaning.

On the fateful day Capt Godbole and his men were doing the same. They were on their job with full devotion and apt attention taking care of the last and minutest details of their job on hand. But as they say every soldier has his name written on the bullet or on a mine or on something which will test his bravery. Ok, ok, time out, time out. I understand by your one basic question what is this Sapper all about. Hmmm. Well Sappers are the Combat Engineers. These are the bunch of Brave soldiers who go to battle field even before the battle plans are ready. Even before a bullet is fired these jolly good fellows are already deep in the trenches not only in our own but also in the enemy trenches. They get all the details of the Enemy battle ready ness their mine field, their various obstacles for our Tanks and for our men to move. They do every thing from making trenches for our own forces to build assault bridges in minutes yea they also blast off the bridges, both enemy and ours too if need be. They hold the enemy by laying mine fields KM and thousands of them in dark or in the face of the enemy. They breach the enemy mine field so that our own infantry and tanks can cross in the face of enemy bullets and artillery firing. Yea and these are the same heroes who come last from the battle field cause they have to remove all the mines which they have planted before the war. So this is the role of the Sapper. Hence they are called as SARVATRA. Because you can find them every where.

Yea so back to business, the mines which were being dug out were in a very bad shape. The mud and dirt had choked these mines in total unserviceable condition. But the soldier has to do his job and the job when is there, it has to be performed. One of the anti tank mine while in the process of demining got activated and the result was the blast of the mine which was heard kilometers away and so was the bravery of the baby heard across the nation and the bang proved the baby had long became a man, a man who knows what responsibility means and what price one has to pay in the line of duty. The officer who took this responsibility at such a young age and service, his age not even 22-23, only men can do this, men who have spunk in their B**** to take the challenge.

Maj Banjo who was 50 meters away from the sight got thrown away by the powerful wave the blast had caused and the molten plastic of the mine got all over the body of Maj Banjo.

Now the hundreds of plastic pieces which had reformed after cooling are now troubling the officer. But imagine the young officer whose body had just vanished.

In Pune I was invited in one of the social gathering in which the parents of all the martyrs were honored.When I saw parent of Capt Godbole I was amazed to see the strength and the dedication of them to the cause for which their son had given the ultimate sacrifice. As of date a park is dedicated in Pune to the memory of this brave son of Maharashtra who gave his life for the better tomorrow of this nation.

My salutation to you Sushant !!!!!!

We all are proud of you.