So long we stay in a particular place, we tend to forget its existence
along with its beautiful facets and advantages!
I settled in my seat in the Allahabad bound train at Bina and looked out
from the window. What a fun! Although the train was running in a straight
direction, all objects nearer to my eyesight were running past in opposite
direction backward side whereas the objects far off were running in parallel
direction of the running train, both in opposite direction!
I had left military. But idiosyncrasy of military life clustered in the
mind.The Military life in general and my life in particular were now running in
opposite direction although I was travelling in a straight direction. It was a
paradox of my life.
My mind was filled with emotions, events, memories, persons and places.
The sweet, bitter, sour, pleasant and unhappy scenes were too crossing each
other in the mind. Fortunately in my military life majority pictures were
nostalgic, happy and indeed sweet, although they were having hard covers.
Saugar,(a District city), was the
place of the Mahar Machine Gun Regiment Centre. And its Koregaon Line was the Pride
of the Mahar community of Maharashtra state in general and Mahar jawans
(Soldiers) in particular. The British or Cavalry Lines, which were located a
few miles away from the Koregaon Lines was our actual place of military
training and all connected activities of jawans, the centre was known in civil
as MRC in short. The place on face looked calm and quite but inside clustered
with officers, JCOs, NCOs, Ors their families and extremely hard and tiring
lives of soldiers who were heterogeneous but emotionally one, united in one
thread though different in several respects. They spoke different languages,
came from unknown – obscure far off places of the country and yet who
considered this country as their mother. All were prepared to die, to protect
her. They were not even distantly related and yet considered bound by a sense
of best brotherhood, jawans shared their
family stories of happiness and sorrows, who never hesitated to tell them the
bad news of deaths of their kiths and kins, and distributed sweets for new-arrivals
in their homes, Their marriages, birth and wedding anniversaries which they made known also to other soldiers.
They never hesitated to narrate about the quarrels in their families and
differences between castes at their native places. Strangely they told such
stories to other jawans who probably did not belong to their caste or community
keeping not even iota of malice or caste mindedness in mind! Sense and feeling
of belonging felt reciprocally. Border Battalions ( SCOUTS) were attached with
Mahar Battalions and posted at MRC Saugar in 1956!(I have seen this).
I remembered how Jeranal Singh
(real name) from Jalandhar taught me Panjabi language and Gurumukhi Script. Ram
Singh from Jodhapur district would tell me about their hard desert life. How
Rainnwar from Chikodi – Karnataka State – tried unsuccessfully to teach me
Kannada language. May he be only one jawan from the district but he never felt
that he was alone! All spoke their own mother tongue, but never felt language
barriers! None realized territorial or boundary limitations.
They belonged to different castes
and creeds but none felt even the slightest difference. When returned from leave
rarely any jawan forgot to bring a special recipe of his home and distribute it
to his section or platoon mate jawans. It gave him an immense pleasure when
others appreciated the recipe! He would show photographs of his parents, family
members, his wife and children with overflowing joy on his face and glowing
mischievous smile with widened eyes! All jawans felt proud of their own caste
or community’s martial status and yet expressed no competitive or comparative
jealousy or hatred or sense of superiority against each others!
Mahar Regiment’s martial song –
Veer Shivajike Balak Hum Hain Mahar Sainik Hum Hum Hum i.e. “We children of the
brave King Shivaji are the mahar soldiers” – when played by the Mahar
Regiment’s band – led by a Muslim band officer – inspired every Mahar jawan to
lift his rifle to destroy the invading enemy!
Engrossed in down memory lane I fondly remembered Dattu Mane (real name)
from Satara district. His number was 4533503 and mine was 453502. He gave me a
big amount of Rs. 5/- for my journey expenses and it really was a big sum as a
Seepoy’s salary was just Rs. 35/-.Yadav Ranshringare from Solapur who always
gave me brotherly love and stood by me in all situations, whose mother treated me as her
own son and who served me non-vegetarian food when they themselves were
strictly vegetarian, whenever, I stayed in their home at Solapur. In fact this
bond created in military extended right
up to his family in Solapur!
Though military consisted of different jawans, speaking different
languages, belonging to different faiths, observing different social customs
with different family backgrounds, but all considered military as one family!
And it was not a superficial feeling but a real one of emotional bond!
Otherwise how to explain the help I received from Subhedar Major Dilbag Singh –
a Sikh from Punjab, Junior Commissioned Officer from Army Educational core,
Jamadar G. L. Pandit – a Brahmin, Major Thomas – a Christian from Kerala, Col.
Tuli – a Punjabi, Hawaldar Baliram Salvi – a war veteran and Veer Chakra
awardee from Maharashtra – a Mahar!
Arrival cannot be imagined without departure. End has no existence
without beginning. My travel up to graduation was unthinkable without
matriculation. I was just 8th standard qualified. How could I forget
Col. Ghashiram, our centre’s Commanding Officer? It was Col. Ghashiram, a
religious minded but a strict disciplinied officer who agreed to Subhedar Major
Dilbag Singh’s request for my further education.
It was our Regiment, which provided me a link with families of
Shrikhande and Hardikar! Officers showered their blessings on me. JCOs gave me
their help and supports while NCOs and Ors liked, loved and respected me
tremendously. As all objects were moving fast outside, so were several – unaccountable
– events and persons in uniforms appearing and disappearing fast from my mental
screen. For a moment my sub conscience got tired saying, “Stop now, you would
be criticized as braggadocio”.
And slowly the train came to halt. It was Allahabad I woke up from a
long slumber, from a real and beautiful dream and a signboard of Allahabad
brought me down on the platform. But the dream lingered in my mind printing its
indelible marks forever!
For a moment I thought alas, all Indian parents could send their
children in military at least for some years or Government made compulsory for
all the young boys and girls to spend some period in the military. No school or
college or institution would provide and inculcate a sense of discipline, love
and affection for each other, prepare to face hard problems of life, cultivate
a feeling of national brotherhood and make ready for supreme sacrifice; except
army. Regimental career knows no territorial, racial, religious, and linguistic
or caste-pertaining demarcations! Unknowingly all these barriers, which
otherwise are becoming insurmountable impediments in our national life. Army
breaks them into pieces! Which way we should adopt? The way binding us in national
integration or other way leading to statehood boundaries! Choice would be ours!
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