Oh, I have missed blogging like anything. It has been more than 2 months since the last post. All this time something was missing from my life. There was travel, good friends, good food and a lot of learning but still it felt hollow. I guess my decision not to take my Laptop on Bharat Darshan was totally a sham. So the professional training of the IAS Officer trainees (Yes yes, we have done away with the amateurish sounding word "Probationer") begins with a two month long Winter Study Tour (WST) as is it called formally where we travel through out the entire country for various kinds of attachments namely with the Army, the Air force, the Navy, Private Sector, NGOs, LWE districts etc. And it begins with the undoubtedly best one- The Army Attachment.
And off we went leaving the Queen of Hills which was getting colder by day to our respective sectors allocated for the Army stint. Our Group 2 was supposed to reach Poonch sector in Jammu which was often in news some years ago for cross firings and violations. This set the tempo pretty high and we were looking forward to an exhilarating 10 days with the Guardians of Peace and Security. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was the Group Leader 1. The former because much of my work would be taken care by the Army personnel themselves and since in the initial days the energy levels are high and hardly anyone thinks of making a detour to their friends and relative. God bless the Group leaders in whose tenure the group reaches Goa! The later because with all the protocol and coordination work, it becomes difficult to enjoy the real feel of the place. But nevertheless it is a good experience one should have. As here the challenge is to coordinate your equals.
So after a few traffic glitches on way to Saharanpur we successfully boarded our train to Jammu. Sounds simple enough right mate, but trust me when a group of 20 moves together, even simple things can run down upon you. Right from the next morning, it was all about the Army and their brilliant ways of going about things. They adopted the strategy which the Britishers heavily relied upon. They divided our huge group of 20 into smaller ones. First they halved us. Then just when we thought 10 is a pretty descent number those half groups were halved and so on. Eventually came a time when some of us were all alone with a Platoon of Army at a Border Outpost situated at intimidating heights with overwhelming snow and the possibilities of being caught in a cross fire as the enemy post were a stone's throw away.
The initial impressions from the valley were of all sorts. To start with, it is difficult to understand the fact that why such a beautiful place has an atmosphere of fear and animosity. And not of peace and tranquility which totally goes with the sublime landscape. Clean waters flow between the snow-clad mountains but you can actually feel the bad blood underneath those deceiving currents. We were taken to various locations of the Battalion and the travel itself tells the story of the hardship faced by the troops. We participated in various activities like the Area Domination Patrol (ADP), the Road opening exercise (ROP) among others. And looking at them, one can feel how sensitive this place actually is that the Army has to conduct all these exercises almost everyday. And you start to appreciate how much the Army does for the civilian populace.
On one night when we were taken to a post near the LOC, we saw a long glittering line of light posts categorically dividing the two nations. One can only imagine, borders that divide, can too be so so beautiful. It has delivered greatly on the objective as well. Post the installation of such a lighted fence which is entirely an Indian contribution, the breaches have been very minimal and that has ensured peace in the region. Till this time we were a group of three and then came the heart breaker, the idea to send all three of us separately to different Border Outpost to spend 2-3 days there with the troops. Initially we thought it would be difficult to pass this time but once we climbed up our posts, we could clearly see the rationale behind it. It is important for us to understand the reality of troops serving at such difficult heights and terrains. Of course we all know the hardships faced by our jawans and we all do have great respect for them. But going there and living with them, has been truly enlightening. What we perceive is just a tiny proportion of their true struggles. And to add to it the bureaucratic apathy that makes it much worse.
It was new year's eve and I was at one of the posts at the LOC very near to an enemy post. Since it was New Years, some firework was expected from the other side as has been the case for the last couple of years. There was a lot of time to kill till the midnight and we thought it would be a good idea to revisit one of the best war epics ever made. So, "Saving Private Ryan" featured at 12000 ft, literally on the fence, so up close to the enemy quarters with the possibility of intermixing of bullet shot sounds from real and reel life. Best new year ever even without a celebration. It was good to listen to the stories of the troops stationed there and how they rarely get to be with their loved ones on such occasions. But they find solace, in the arms of their brothers in uniform. So did I, that evening.
During the course of this attachment, we came across many officers who were totally committed in the service of the nation and the welfare of their troops. It's so heartening to see such patriotism even when serving in the most difficult of conditions. That passion which was resonating in their every word, is so touching. Towards the very end, we visited a temple maintained by the paramilitary which had a poster just next to it which totally sums up the quintessential role that they play.
" सीमाएं हमारी जिम्मेदारी है। लेकिन हमारी जिम्मेदारी की कोई सीमा नहीं। "
Boundaries are our responsibility. But there is no boundary of our responsibility.
This perhaps has been the best part of our Bharat Darshan. And it literally became an "attachment" as we stayed with them for nearly 10 days and that too not in the luxury of the guest houses but at those troubling heights and disturbing temperatures. There are various issues that need the attention of the policy makers be it the logistics or the coordination with the civil administration. We must do our bit to help the Army in whichever way we can. It has been a great sensitization and we all would certainly do whatever is expected of us for the welfare of the troops and the forces. We all are proud of all our Jawans and have great respect for them. While you protect us from the dangers coming from beyond, we ensure that we would do whatever we can from the inside.
Lastly I wish to share with you all, a message that the Army had for all of us.
When you go home, tell them of us.
And say, for your tomorrow,
we gave our today!
And off we went leaving the Queen of Hills which was getting colder by day to our respective sectors allocated for the Army stint. Our Group 2 was supposed to reach Poonch sector in Jammu which was often in news some years ago for cross firings and violations. This set the tempo pretty high and we were looking forward to an exhilarating 10 days with the Guardians of Peace and Security. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was the Group Leader 1. The former because much of my work would be taken care by the Army personnel themselves and since in the initial days the energy levels are high and hardly anyone thinks of making a detour to their friends and relative. God bless the Group leaders in whose tenure the group reaches Goa! The later because with all the protocol and coordination work, it becomes difficult to enjoy the real feel of the place. But nevertheless it is a good experience one should have. As here the challenge is to coordinate your equals.
So after a few traffic glitches on way to Saharanpur we successfully boarded our train to Jammu. Sounds simple enough right mate, but trust me when a group of 20 moves together, even simple things can run down upon you. Right from the next morning, it was all about the Army and their brilliant ways of going about things. They adopted the strategy which the Britishers heavily relied upon. They divided our huge group of 20 into smaller ones. First they halved us. Then just when we thought 10 is a pretty descent number those half groups were halved and so on. Eventually came a time when some of us were all alone with a Platoon of Army at a Border Outpost situated at intimidating heights with overwhelming snow and the possibilities of being caught in a cross fire as the enemy post were a stone's throw away.
The initial impressions from the valley were of all sorts. To start with, it is difficult to understand the fact that why such a beautiful place has an atmosphere of fear and animosity. And not of peace and tranquility which totally goes with the sublime landscape. Clean waters flow between the snow-clad mountains but you can actually feel the bad blood underneath those deceiving currents. We were taken to various locations of the Battalion and the travel itself tells the story of the hardship faced by the troops. We participated in various activities like the Area Domination Patrol (ADP), the Road opening exercise (ROP) among others. And looking at them, one can feel how sensitive this place actually is that the Army has to conduct all these exercises almost everyday. And you start to appreciate how much the Army does for the civilian populace.
On one night when we were taken to a post near the LOC, we saw a long glittering line of light posts categorically dividing the two nations. One can only imagine, borders that divide, can too be so so beautiful. It has delivered greatly on the objective as well. Post the installation of such a lighted fence which is entirely an Indian contribution, the breaches have been very minimal and that has ensured peace in the region. Till this time we were a group of three and then came the heart breaker, the idea to send all three of us separately to different Border Outpost to spend 2-3 days there with the troops. Initially we thought it would be difficult to pass this time but once we climbed up our posts, we could clearly see the rationale behind it. It is important for us to understand the reality of troops serving at such difficult heights and terrains. Of course we all know the hardships faced by our jawans and we all do have great respect for them. But going there and living with them, has been truly enlightening. What we perceive is just a tiny proportion of their true struggles. And to add to it the bureaucratic apathy that makes it much worse.
It was new year's eve and I was at one of the posts at the LOC very near to an enemy post. Since it was New Years, some firework was expected from the other side as has been the case for the last couple of years. There was a lot of time to kill till the midnight and we thought it would be a good idea to revisit one of the best war epics ever made. So, "Saving Private Ryan" featured at 12000 ft, literally on the fence, so up close to the enemy quarters with the possibility of intermixing of bullet shot sounds from real and reel life. Best new year ever even without a celebration. It was good to listen to the stories of the troops stationed there and how they rarely get to be with their loved ones on such occasions. But they find solace, in the arms of their brothers in uniform. So did I, that evening.
During the course of this attachment, we came across many officers who were totally committed in the service of the nation and the welfare of their troops. It's so heartening to see such patriotism even when serving in the most difficult of conditions. That passion which was resonating in their every word, is so touching. Towards the very end, we visited a temple maintained by the paramilitary which had a poster just next to it which totally sums up the quintessential role that they play.
" सीमाएं हमारी जिम्मेदारी है। लेकिन हमारी जिम्मेदारी की कोई सीमा नहीं। "
Boundaries are our responsibility. But there is no boundary of our responsibility.
This perhaps has been the best part of our Bharat Darshan. And it literally became an "attachment" as we stayed with them for nearly 10 days and that too not in the luxury of the guest houses but at those troubling heights and disturbing temperatures. There are various issues that need the attention of the policy makers be it the logistics or the coordination with the civil administration. We must do our bit to help the Army in whichever way we can. It has been a great sensitization and we all would certainly do whatever is expected of us for the welfare of the troops and the forces. We all are proud of all our Jawans and have great respect for them. While you protect us from the dangers coming from beyond, we ensure that we would do whatever we can from the inside.
Lastly I wish to share with you all, a message that the Army had for all of us.
When you go home, tell them of us.
And say, for your tomorrow,
we gave our today!
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