He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the family,
Telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.
And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Natha Singh has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.
He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?
The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.
While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And a pension, meagre & small..
It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some Neta,
With his ever waffling stand?
Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight to the skin.
He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED YESTERDAY.."
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
A soldiers Wife
A Soldiers Wife
I wear no uniforms but I am in the Army because I am his wife.
I'm in the ranks that are rarely seen, I have no rank upon my shoulders.
Salutes I do not give. But the military world is the place where I live.
I'm not in the chain of command, Orders I do not get.
But my husband is the one who does, this I can not forget.
I'm not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line.
But my job is just as tough. I'm the one who's left behind.
My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man.
And the call to serve his country not all can understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free.
My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me.
I love the man I married. Soldiering is his life.
But I stand among the silent ranks known as the Army Wife
I wear no uniforms but I am in the Army because I am his wife.
I'm in the ranks that are rarely seen, I have no rank upon my shoulders.
Salutes I do not give. But the military world is the place where I live.
I'm not in the chain of command, Orders I do not get.
But my husband is the one who does, this I can not forget.
I'm not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line.
But my job is just as tough. I'm the one who's left behind.
My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man.
And the call to serve his country not all can understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free.
My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me.
I love the man I married. Soldiering is his life.
But I stand among the silent ranks known as the Army Wife
THE INDIAN ARMY WE GREW UP IN - THEN AND NOW By Brig Bajaj
THE INDIAN ARMY WE GREW UP IN – THEN AND NOW
1971 –the June 1971 Regular Course is commissioned, goes to battle stations within six months of commissioning and emerges as a band of young war hardened veterans christened as the ‘Born to Battle Course’. Now that each and every member of our course has honourably retired and the last of the 1971 War Veterans has hung up his uniform, we nostalgically reminiscence that though life in the Army was never a bed of roses, most of us enjoyed our three to four decades of service without too many heart burns/hiccups. One really heartening aspect of our ‘life encompassing journey’ was the bonding and camaraderie developed at the National Defence Academy or the Indian Military Academy and thereafter nurtured over decades of service. These bonds grew not only amongst the officers and the men but transgressed the uniform and emerged as an even more unique and amazing kinship between the wives and children of officers and jawans!
One never imagined that these relationships between the officers, ladies and children developed so early in life, would transcend decades and become stronger over the years. Thanks to the social networking sites available today and the instant connectivity via mobile phones our generation and that of our children enjoys an unbelievable camaraderie, bonhomie and kinship even though we retired years ago! The very mention of the word ‘Army’ or ‘Services’ and ones hand automatically reaches out in a gesture of warm greeting and if required support !
Last month my daughter and son -in- law located at Gurgaon told us that they have a week off and would like to visit Rajasthan and see places like Jodhpur and Jaisalmer – places one had operated in for the better part of our lives. Since my son –in-law is from a totally civilian background I was keen to help him acquire a flavour of the army we had served in for almost forty years. I, therefore, decided to tie up accommodation for them in army areas in Rajasthan.
The children, along with our two little granddaughters drove from Delhi and, needless to say, had a wonderful holiday with the army extending hospitality at Nasirabad, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Through the children’s own connectivity, courtesy regimental networking, they came to know that one of my then young regimental officers, now the Commandant of an Armoured Regt was out with his Regiment on training in that area and therefore they arranged to meet over lunch enroute to Jaisalmer.
On 29 Dec 11,on their way back from Jaisalmer, they had decided to have breakfast with the Commandant but about 10 km short of his location they became the victims of a horrific accident trying to avoid a wayward car driver. So severe was the impact that their car turned turtle twice over and our four month old granddaughter flew out of the broken windscreen and landed on the sand providentially totally unscratched. Fortunately, the family emerged from the accident badly shaken but, with the grace of God, safe. My daughter immediately called up the Commandant and informed him of the accident.
Reacting as only the army can, he with a medical team and a recovery vehicle rushed to the spot, evacuated the hapless victims on the bitterly cold morning and took them to the Regiment where an army doctor attended to them. Though in a camp environment, he ensured the best of comfort possible for the badly traumatized family. Sacrificing his own comfort, the officer housed them in the warmest place available in the camp - his own caravan. He ensured that they were comfortably housed till they were fit enough to travel and also made alternate arrangements for them to travel to Jodhpur. He also took pains to ensure that the car was recovered and brought to the camp till it was evacuated to Delhi a day later.
The story does not end here. By some coincidence the news of the accident reached the Divisional HQ at Jodhpur where the GOC was informed about the unfortunate accident wherein the children of one Brig Bajaj, a retired Armoured Corps officer, had a miraculous escape. The General Officer Commanding , who happened to be an old student of mine and a younger colleague, did not lose time and rang me up to reassure me that all was well with the children. I was concerned about a detailed medical checkup for the four of them since all doctors in Rajasthan were on an indefinite strike. He promised me that he would personally ensure a proper medical checkup for all of them at MH Jodhpur and also make sure that they are comfortable and safe till they depart for Delhi. When the children arrived at Jodhpur they were escorted to the hospital, thoroughly examined and housed comfortably till their departure for Delhi the next afternoon. As if all this was not enough, the GOC and his wife were gracious enough to visit the children and personally enquire about their well being.
Where else can one dream of such kinship and camaraderie? It is indeed reassuring that notwithstanding all the bad mouthing, neglect and indifference suffered by our Army (read Armed Forces) at the hand of the Government, the Bureaucracy, the Media and some unscrupulous senior officers our wonderful organization is flourishing and the present day officers and men still cherish and live by the value systems we grew up with. We veterans can, therefore, rest reassured that with the current generation in place, our Services and, therefore, our country men are in safe hands!!
Can any organization be it the elitist (nose in the air) IAS, IPS or for that matter any other organization in India boast of such bonding or brotherhood ???
Brig Deepak Bajaj,VSM,(Retd)
1971 –the June 1971 Regular Course is commissioned, goes to battle stations within six months of commissioning and emerges as a band of young war hardened veterans christened as the ‘Born to Battle Course’. Now that each and every member of our course has honourably retired and the last of the 1971 War Veterans has hung up his uniform, we nostalgically reminiscence that though life in the Army was never a bed of roses, most of us enjoyed our three to four decades of service without too many heart burns/hiccups. One really heartening aspect of our ‘life encompassing journey’ was the bonding and camaraderie developed at the National Defence Academy or the Indian Military Academy and thereafter nurtured over decades of service. These bonds grew not only amongst the officers and the men but transgressed the uniform and emerged as an even more unique and amazing kinship between the wives and children of officers and jawans!
One never imagined that these relationships between the officers, ladies and children developed so early in life, would transcend decades and become stronger over the years. Thanks to the social networking sites available today and the instant connectivity via mobile phones our generation and that of our children enjoys an unbelievable camaraderie, bonhomie and kinship even though we retired years ago! The very mention of the word ‘Army’ or ‘Services’ and ones hand automatically reaches out in a gesture of warm greeting and if required support !
Last month my daughter and son -in- law located at Gurgaon told us that they have a week off and would like to visit Rajasthan and see places like Jodhpur and Jaisalmer – places one had operated in for the better part of our lives. Since my son –in-law is from a totally civilian background I was keen to help him acquire a flavour of the army we had served in for almost forty years. I, therefore, decided to tie up accommodation for them in army areas in Rajasthan.
The children, along with our two little granddaughters drove from Delhi and, needless to say, had a wonderful holiday with the army extending hospitality at Nasirabad, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Through the children’s own connectivity, courtesy regimental networking, they came to know that one of my then young regimental officers, now the Commandant of an Armoured Regt was out with his Regiment on training in that area and therefore they arranged to meet over lunch enroute to Jaisalmer.
On 29 Dec 11,on their way back from Jaisalmer, they had decided to have breakfast with the Commandant but about 10 km short of his location they became the victims of a horrific accident trying to avoid a wayward car driver. So severe was the impact that their car turned turtle twice over and our four month old granddaughter flew out of the broken windscreen and landed on the sand providentially totally unscratched. Fortunately, the family emerged from the accident badly shaken but, with the grace of God, safe. My daughter immediately called up the Commandant and informed him of the accident.
Reacting as only the army can, he with a medical team and a recovery vehicle rushed to the spot, evacuated the hapless victims on the bitterly cold morning and took them to the Regiment where an army doctor attended to them. Though in a camp environment, he ensured the best of comfort possible for the badly traumatized family. Sacrificing his own comfort, the officer housed them in the warmest place available in the camp - his own caravan. He ensured that they were comfortably housed till they were fit enough to travel and also made alternate arrangements for them to travel to Jodhpur. He also took pains to ensure that the car was recovered and brought to the camp till it was evacuated to Delhi a day later.
The story does not end here. By some coincidence the news of the accident reached the Divisional HQ at Jodhpur where the GOC was informed about the unfortunate accident wherein the children of one Brig Bajaj, a retired Armoured Corps officer, had a miraculous escape. The General Officer Commanding , who happened to be an old student of mine and a younger colleague, did not lose time and rang me up to reassure me that all was well with the children. I was concerned about a detailed medical checkup for the four of them since all doctors in Rajasthan were on an indefinite strike. He promised me that he would personally ensure a proper medical checkup for all of them at MH Jodhpur and also make sure that they are comfortable and safe till they depart for Delhi. When the children arrived at Jodhpur they were escorted to the hospital, thoroughly examined and housed comfortably till their departure for Delhi the next afternoon. As if all this was not enough, the GOC and his wife were gracious enough to visit the children and personally enquire about their well being.
Where else can one dream of such kinship and camaraderie? It is indeed reassuring that notwithstanding all the bad mouthing, neglect and indifference suffered by our Army (read Armed Forces) at the hand of the Government, the Bureaucracy, the Media and some unscrupulous senior officers our wonderful organization is flourishing and the present day officers and men still cherish and live by the value systems we grew up with. We veterans can, therefore, rest reassured that with the current generation in place, our Services and, therefore, our country men are in safe hands!!
Can any organization be it the elitist (nose in the air) IAS, IPS or for that matter any other organization in India boast of such bonding or brotherhood ???
Brig Deepak Bajaj,VSM,(Retd)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Punjabi Confidence
PUNJABI CONFIDENCE
George Bush was sitting in his office wondering whom to invade next when his telephone rang.
'Hello, Mr. Bush!' a heavily accented voice said, 'This is Gurmukh from Phagwara, District Kapurthala, Punjab .. I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring the war on you!'
'Well, Gurmukh,' Bush replied, 'This is indeed important news! How big is your army'
'Right now,' said Gurmukh, after a moment's calculation, 'there is myself, my cousin Sukhdev, my next door neighbor Bhagat, and the entire kabaddi team from the gurudwara. That makes eight'
Bush paused. 'I must tell you, Gurmukh that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command.'
'Arrey O! Main kya..' said Gurmukh. 'I'll have to ring you back!'
Sure enough, the next day, Gurmukh called again.
'Mr. Bush, it is Gurmukh, I'm calling from Phagwara STD, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!'
'And what equipment would that be, Gurmukh' Bush asked.
'Well, we have two combines, a donkey and Amrik's tractor.'
Bush sighed. 'I must tell you, Gurmukh, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also, I've increased my army to 1-1/2 million since we last spoke.'
'Oh teri....' said Gurmukh. 'I'll have to get back to you.'
Sure enough, Gurmukh rang again the next day.
'Mr. Bush, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne.... .. We've modified Amrik's tractor by adding a couple of shotguns, sticking on some wings and the pind's generator. Four school pass boys from Malpur have joined us as well!'
Bush was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat. 'I must tell you, Gurmukh, that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!'
'Tera bhala hove....' said Gurmuk, 'I'll have to ring you back.'
Sure enough, Gurmukh called again the next day.
'Kiddan, Mr.Bush! I am sorry to tell you that we have had to call off the war.'
'I'm sorry to hear that,' said Bush. 'Why the sudden change of heart'
'Well,' said Gurmukh, 'we've all had a long chat over a couple of lassi's, and decided there's no way we can feed two million prisoners of wars!'
NOW THAT'S CALLED PUNJABI CONFIDENCE
George Bush was sitting in his office wondering whom to invade next when his telephone rang.
'Hello, Mr. Bush!' a heavily accented voice said, 'This is Gurmukh from Phagwara, District Kapurthala, Punjab .. I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring the war on you!'
'Well, Gurmukh,' Bush replied, 'This is indeed important news! How big is your army'
'Right now,' said Gurmukh, after a moment's calculation, 'there is myself, my cousin Sukhdev, my next door neighbor Bhagat, and the entire kabaddi team from the gurudwara. That makes eight'
Bush paused. 'I must tell you, Gurmukh that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command.'
'Arrey O! Main kya..' said Gurmukh. 'I'll have to ring you back!'
Sure enough, the next day, Gurmukh called again.
'Mr. Bush, it is Gurmukh, I'm calling from Phagwara STD, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!'
'And what equipment would that be, Gurmukh' Bush asked.
'Well, we have two combines, a donkey and Amrik's tractor.'
Bush sighed. 'I must tell you, Gurmukh, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also, I've increased my army to 1-1/2 million since we last spoke.'
'Oh teri....' said Gurmukh. 'I'll have to get back to you.'
Sure enough, Gurmukh rang again the next day.
'Mr. Bush, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne.... .. We've modified Amrik's tractor by adding a couple of shotguns, sticking on some wings and the pind's generator. Four school pass boys from Malpur have joined us as well!'
Bush was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat. 'I must tell you, Gurmukh, that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!'
'Tera bhala hove....' said Gurmuk, 'I'll have to ring you back.'
Sure enough, Gurmukh called again the next day.
'Kiddan, Mr.Bush! I am sorry to tell you that we have had to call off the war.'
'I'm sorry to hear that,' said Bush. 'Why the sudden change of heart'
'Well,' said Gurmukh, 'we've all had a long chat over a couple of lassi's, and decided there's no way we can feed two million prisoners of wars!'
NOW THAT'S CALLED PUNJABI CONFIDENCE
The Tea Shop
THE TEA SHOP........
A tale reflecting the character & high values of the brave men guarding the nation...
They were on their way to the post where they would be deployed for next three months. The batch being relieved, was waiting anxiously for their arrival so that they could fall back to safer confines of their parent unit. Some would proceed on leave and meet their families. They were happy that they were to relieve a set of comrades who had done their job.
It was a treacherous climb and the journey was to last till the next evening. Cold winter month with intermittent snowfall added to the torture.
If only some one could offer a cup of tea, the Major thought, knowing completely well that it was a futile wish.
They continued for another hour before they came across a dilapidated structure which looked like a small shop. It was locked.
It was 2 o'clock in the night and there was no house close to the shop where the owner could be located. In any case it was not advisable to knock any doors in the night for security reasons.
It was a stalemate. No tea boys, bad luck.
The Major told the men to take some rest since they had been walking for more than three hours now.
Sir, this is a tea shop indeed and we can make tea. We will have to break the lock though. The officer was in doubt about the proposed action but a steaming cup of tea was not a bad idea. He thought for a while and permitted for the lock to be broken. The lock was broken.
They were in luck.
The place was a shop indeed and had everything required to make tea, and also a few packets of biscuits.
The tea was prepared and it brought great relief to all in the cold night. They were now ready for the long and treacherous walk ahead of them and started to get ready to move.
The officer was in thoughts. They had broken open the lock and prepared tea and consumed biscuits without the permission of the owner. The payment was due but there was no one in sight.
The Major was not however moving out without doing what was to be done. He took out a Rs 1000/- note from his wallet and kept it on the counter, pressed under the sugar container, so that the owner sees it first thing when he arrives in the morning.
He was now relieved of the guilt and ordered the move.
Days, weeks and months passed. They continued to do gallantly what they were required to do and were lucky not to loose any one from the original group in the intense insurgency situation.
And then one day, it was time to be replaced by another brave lot.
Soon they were on their way back and stopped at the same shop, which was today open with the owner in place. He was an old man with very meager resources and was happy to see eight of them with the prospect of selling at least eight cups of tea that day.
All of them had their tea and spoke to the old man about his life and experiences in general, selling tea at such remote a location.
The poor, old man had many stories to tell all of them, replete with his faith in God.
"Kya Baba, yadi Allah hota to kyaa aap ke jaisa 'Allah kaa bandaa' is haal main hota, said one of them"; moved by his poverty and faith in God.
"Nahin Sahib, aise mat kaho, God actually exists.
I got the proof a few months back.
I was going through very tough times because my only son had been severely beaten by the terrorists who wanted some information from him which he did not have. I had closed the shop early that day and had taken my son to the hospital. There were medicines to be purchased and I had no money. No one would give me a loan from fear of the terrorists. There was no hope, Sahib.
And that day Sahib, I had prayed to Allah for help.
And that day Sahib, Allah walked into my shop.
When I returned to my shop that day and saw the lock broken, I thought someone had broken in and had taken away whatever little I had. But then I saw that 'Allah' had left Rs 1000/-under the sugar pot. Sahib, I can't tell you what that money was worth that day.
Allah exists Sahib, he does.
I know people are dying every day here but all of you will soon meet your near and dear ones, your children, and you must thank your God Sahib, he is watching all of us. He does exist. He walked in my shop that day. I know he did."
The faith in his eyes was unflinching.
It was unnerving.
Seven set of eyes looked at their officer and read the order in his eyes clear and unambiguous, 'Keep quiet.'
The officer got up and paid the bill and hugged the old man.
"Yes Baba, I know,God does exist - and yes the tea was wonderful.
Seven set of eyes did not miss the moisture building in the eyes of the Major, a rare sight.
A tale reflecting the character & high values of the brave men guarding the nation...
They were on their way to the post where they would be deployed for next three months. The batch being relieved, was waiting anxiously for their arrival so that they could fall back to safer confines of their parent unit. Some would proceed on leave and meet their families. They were happy that they were to relieve a set of comrades who had done their job.
It was a treacherous climb and the journey was to last till the next evening. Cold winter month with intermittent snowfall added to the torture.
If only some one could offer a cup of tea, the Major thought, knowing completely well that it was a futile wish.
They continued for another hour before they came across a dilapidated structure which looked like a small shop. It was locked.
It was 2 o'clock in the night and there was no house close to the shop where the owner could be located. In any case it was not advisable to knock any doors in the night for security reasons.
It was a stalemate. No tea boys, bad luck.
The Major told the men to take some rest since they had been walking for more than three hours now.
Sir, this is a tea shop indeed and we can make tea. We will have to break the lock though. The officer was in doubt about the proposed action but a steaming cup of tea was not a bad idea. He thought for a while and permitted for the lock to be broken. The lock was broken.
They were in luck.
The place was a shop indeed and had everything required to make tea, and also a few packets of biscuits.
The tea was prepared and it brought great relief to all in the cold night. They were now ready for the long and treacherous walk ahead of them and started to get ready to move.
The officer was in thoughts. They had broken open the lock and prepared tea and consumed biscuits without the permission of the owner. The payment was due but there was no one in sight.
The Major was not however moving out without doing what was to be done. He took out a Rs 1000/- note from his wallet and kept it on the counter, pressed under the sugar container, so that the owner sees it first thing when he arrives in the morning.
He was now relieved of the guilt and ordered the move.
Days, weeks and months passed. They continued to do gallantly what they were required to do and were lucky not to loose any one from the original group in the intense insurgency situation.
And then one day, it was time to be replaced by another brave lot.
Soon they were on their way back and stopped at the same shop, which was today open with the owner in place. He was an old man with very meager resources and was happy to see eight of them with the prospect of selling at least eight cups of tea that day.
All of them had their tea and spoke to the old man about his life and experiences in general, selling tea at such remote a location.
The poor, old man had many stories to tell all of them, replete with his faith in God.
"Kya Baba, yadi Allah hota to kyaa aap ke jaisa 'Allah kaa bandaa' is haal main hota, said one of them"; moved by his poverty and faith in God.
"Nahin Sahib, aise mat kaho, God actually exists.
I got the proof a few months back.
I was going through very tough times because my only son had been severely beaten by the terrorists who wanted some information from him which he did not have. I had closed the shop early that day and had taken my son to the hospital. There were medicines to be purchased and I had no money. No one would give me a loan from fear of the terrorists. There was no hope, Sahib.
And that day Sahib, I had prayed to Allah for help.
And that day Sahib, Allah walked into my shop.
When I returned to my shop that day and saw the lock broken, I thought someone had broken in and had taken away whatever little I had. But then I saw that 'Allah' had left Rs 1000/-under the sugar pot. Sahib, I can't tell you what that money was worth that day.
Allah exists Sahib, he does.
I know people are dying every day here but all of you will soon meet your near and dear ones, your children, and you must thank your God Sahib, he is watching all of us. He does exist. He walked in my shop that day. I know he did."
The faith in his eyes was unflinching.
It was unnerving.
Seven set of eyes looked at their officer and read the order in his eyes clear and unambiguous, 'Keep quiet.'
The officer got up and paid the bill and hugged the old man.
"Yes Baba, I know,God does exist - and yes the tea was wonderful.
Seven set of eyes did not miss the moisture building in the eyes of the Major, a rare sight.
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