After two-three weeks with men in
lines, commanding officer asked me to shift to bachelor’s accommodation near
the Officer’s mess. With this change in atmosphere and life style, I started to
realize my rise and thus I felt more dignified. I shifted my entire luggage to
the room. Same night from the office a Havildar clerk came running to my room. One
of our Jawan’s family members is sick and wanted to go home town immediately. No
other officer was immediately available to countersign the travel warrant form.
I know it is some what risky to sign without the knowledge of senior officer, but
looking at the emergency, I have to sign by reading the document and fully
believing the clerk. It was my first signature to approve any official document
in the capacity of an officer in Indian Army. You can do anything provided it won’t
create any problem. You can also do anything provided you won’t get caught! But
it’s unofficial and is applicable usually for things like; when you are not
reaching in parade on time, one button is missing from uniform, shoe is not
properly polished, etc… I meant it for the people in uniform from not getting
ticked off by their seniors. This happens always when someone not meeting the
minimum requirement; “be in right place at right time with right things”.
I started taking my food from
officer’s mess, even though I hadn’t dined in officially. Dining in itself is a
party and an official function. Every unit will have their own way and
traditional procedure to do the same. In couple of days my dining in also
decided. All officers and families were present. There I sipped my first hard
drink in my life. As per the tradition of the unit I had to take three full
glass neat cocktail drinks. After gulping each drink, I have to crawl three
times under the legs of a Rhino “the symbol of the unit” statue kept in the
veranda of the mess shouting “Tagara Raho” means “be powerful and healthy”.
After that I could n’t with stand much time and started vomiting and I was
taken back to my room. Actually dine-in party is a party for those who comes to
dine-in officer and not for the Officer!
I started attending the duties
going from officer’s mess. I had to call on all married officers at their house.
But, many officers were not available and I could visit to one family only. They
had arranged a good dinner for me and gave me a feeling of my own home.
In this station, I attended the
church function and involved in all the proceeding sitting in the front bench.
I felt the god’s presence as days light. In Masjid, Mandir, Gurudwara, Church
or what ever way we call it we go and focus our thoughts to the altar and pray
as focusing the sunlight with a lens and feel its power.
One day we assembled in brigade
head quarter to send off the commander. He is retiring from his service. All
the soldiers from that station had assembled there to pull the Jonga decorated
with flowers from head quarter building to the gate. There was a strong
emotional attachment and bond as one from the family is going back proudly
fulfilling his duty after devoting his whole life to the Nation.
It’s always important for an
organization to have a proper communication procedure. Army has an excellent
way to do that. It’s not in the procedure, but the commitment in following it.
So no flip flops and no goof ups. Structured, time bounded, directional, KISS (Keep It Simple and Short) orders reach faster undiluted to all levels and with a
feedback at every stage.
By this time the full unit was
getting prepared to move. I had to go and see the packing of various sections.
Prepared load chart in the vehicle as per items to be loaded in each vehicle.
Finally we had to move. I became the In charge of the transport column ,became
a convoy commander taking around 40 loaded vehicles under my supervision, travelled
around 250 kms to reach the rail head, where from our special train to Jammu
had been booked.
