THE OBSERVER-(M-14)

 😎THE OBSERVER-(M-14)😎

…….contd from M-13…...

Till now, i had been talking of the Offrs Mess and brethren there.Now we come to the office part of things.

On hindsight, i guess most of you would have had similar experiences. But back then, it looked to me as if it was all due to my landing up in the Corps of Engrs. Come Monday morning, after breakfast, Saxena and I boarded the Dighi Queen (a modified one-tonner with cushioned seats) outside the Mess to proceed to Dighi Camp, where training battalions two and three were located. In the Dighi Queen, we found a motley lot of senior officers who were jovial and full of questions. It took around a half-hour to forty-five minutes to reach the place. During the conversation, it dawned that training battalion three was a new raising with only one officer - the CO. For all practical purposes, it was located along with & the same as training battalion two. Saxena and I followed the Adjutant into his office. After we were introduced to the CO, we were sent to our respective Company Commanders – Majors.  Maj Punj, to whose lot I fell, was nice and easy-going. After tea in his office, he ordered me to take a look around the unit along with the Company Subedar . I dutifully did the rounds and came back to the office in double-quick time. So fast? Yes , Sir . Well then, you can sign these Railway Warrants till the Dighi Queen arrives. Yes sir !

The Company clerk came with the warrant-book. I desperately hunted for the dotted line to be signed upon. After letting me search for a while, the Clerk told me that the place where signatures are to be appended is already rubber- stamped. Oh Yes! There it was:

Company Commander, A Coy

Training Battalion- 3

B.E.G. & Centre

Kirkee

It took me seconds to prefix a " for" and sign this document with date and initial on the round stamp.

Till my last day in service, I kept up the practice of affixing my signature on the rubber stamped space without a worry.

I must have signed around a hundred warrants that first day. At around one, we made our way to the Adjutants office and headed back to the Centre in the Dighi Queen. A quick lunch. Change into games rig and back to Dighi from four to five for games. Back in the room by six and in the bar at seven-thirty sharp.Bed-tea at around five-thirty in the morning , followed by PT or Drill .

A regimented life like a robot.

 At last came the big day for the BIG  event. We were actually going to see the big boss at close quarters and have tea with him . The three of us prepared appropriately for the occasion - from haircut to an extra shine to the leather & metal.Seated in a big hall with a rostrum in front at our stiffest attention, we jumped to our feet on hearing a long bell, followed by the words - “Gentlemen, The Commandant”. In walked Brig Gosain , wearing his maroon paratrooper cap , baton in hand - impressive! He went to the rostrum and bellowed out a warm welcome. We were gently reminded that we were extremely lucky to be considered fit to join the great Bombay Sappers. But to get confirmed as one of the Bombay Sappers, we had a long way to go yet. With that came the bombshell (for me). The boss revealed the first line on the blackboard .As always – AIM - Aim of the Corps of Engineers is to further the Commander's aim with the help our technical knowledge and skills.  Had to be something along those lines, otherwise of what use is such a Corps? I'd always kind of suspected that. I knew I could not further any Commander's aim (whatever it be) with the help of my “technical knowledge and skills “.  I seemed to have come to the wrong place and had to find a way to decently wriggle out without loss of face to anyone. I hardly paid attention to the rest of the lecture.

Back in my room, I took out an inland letter and wrote a long sentimental outburst to my erstwhile Adjutant at OTA. I explained the circs, also adding that I would be happier in the Infantry. The guy immediately wrote back and told me to hang on and not take any decision in a hurry. At the moment, there was simply no other option available for me but to continue where I was.There was the consoling thought that one could always opt out of the Army itself after five years, if the going got too bad. But then, one did not want to get kicked out ignomiously either.

So carry on Ustad! Nothing to worry so far . Will see when the time comes.