Okay, so this one's gonna be a real self-obsessed post. I would want all the readers (especially civilians) to read this without any sagacious or high-flown sentiments. Here's just a normal teenager swashing about how proud she is to have been brought up in a fauji setting.
A few weeks back, one of my fellow fauji brats posted this as her Facebook status:
"civilians for me are muggles, and Army School is my Hogwarts"
I, being a die-hard potterhead as well as a braggart fauji brat, loved the status immensely.
So, the core statement she wanted to address was that army kids are different from their civilian counterparts, right?
After having lived both the fauji as well as the civil lives, what I'd say is, just like muggles are disparate from wizards and Hogwarts is altogether a different and marvelous School, even we army brats are a different breed.
So, who's a fauji brat?
Any child who has grown up with a parent in the army. Simple! And I feel so lucky and proud to actually be one.
YES, I am a FAUJI BRAT (as the army slang goes!) My hometown? well.....nowhere! I was born in MH (Military Hospital), Delhi, lived first year of my life in a bamboo house on the hills of Mizoram, at two I was at the LOC (like literally!) and stayed in Nagrota, Jammu & Kashmir, at four, in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, then there's a whole list of postings.(Can you beat this? If yes, then even you are a fauji brat, civilians don't stand a chance!) Frankly, I'm actually amazed at people who have never left their hometowns. I mean, how can a person live his whole life at one place?
Even after moving to so many places, one thing never changed-- the tranquility of Cantts. When our Dads were at the borders or engaged in rescue operations, we were in the most secured and protective environment rendered by the army cantonments.
For us, family means the unit our fathers belong to. Bonds created in a unit are not based on blood relations. Frankly, defining those relations are beyond my capability to express.
Friendships here are made within seconds and kept for decades. Relationships are valued immensely as we are already aware of the fact that this might remain as such for around 2 years (or even less) as our Dads would again be posted somewhere else and again we'll pack our bags and get ready to move to another part of the country with the same unvaried joy.
The only supermarket I knew was the CSD canteen. That's our ultimate Walmart! Every thing from a mere MDH chat masala to a fauji's car is brought through CSD.
I've been in such cars which even billionaires won't get to sit in- gypsy, junga, stallion, shaktiman. Yes, my civilian friends, yes! Shaktiman used to take us to our Schools and then drop us back to our homes!
Who says horse riding and golf is only for the blue-blooded? we've experienced them right from our childhood days.
The "sahayak bhaiyas" have been our constant companions. Their fauji tales were always a joy to hear. We once had a bhaiya who was a paratrooper and every single day he used to tell us one of his bravery tales which I and my brother used to hear with the same exuberance everyday. Playing football with them is one of the activities that I truly miss, now that I'm living in a civil area. They have been the most generous and assistive individuals that I've come across. A big and a proud salute to them.
So, to all my fellow mates who were born in an MH, traveled to Army School in a Shaktiman, the born tambola players, whose first & favorite snack has been roasted peanuts with onions and tomatoes (yummyyyy!) or the one and only chicken 65, who still love the smell of brasso, are experts at fine dining (thanks to our Dads!), who can easily figure out a soldier's rank with a look on his shoulder, are avid travelers, to whom AWWA, 2i/c, DSOI, civvies actually makes perfect sense, who can very well name the rifles which their Dads use or mighty fighter jets (mostly boys do that!), to all the beautiful May Queens, and all those lucky brats who've been part of such an amazing and dignitary organisation just because they happen to be the kids of our Indian faujies :
HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY TO YOU ALL.
Our Dads are not only our heroes but the whole nation's stars. And today is the day when we honor these great men for whom INDIA has always come first (even before us!).
A big salute to all my uncles and bhaiyas! You all are our nation's pride.
In the end I'd love to quote what one of my fellow fauji brats once wrote:
"When I stand to honor that flag, so also do I stand in honor of all the soldiers and most especially to the parents whose life created mine".
JAI HIND.
A few weeks back, one of my fellow fauji brats posted this as her Facebook status:
"civilians for me are muggles, and Army School is my Hogwarts"
I, being a die-hard potterhead as well as a braggart fauji brat, loved the status immensely.
So, the core statement she wanted to address was that army kids are different from their civilian counterparts, right?
After having lived both the fauji as well as the civil lives, what I'd say is, just like muggles are disparate from wizards and Hogwarts is altogether a different and marvelous School, even we army brats are a different breed.
So, who's a fauji brat?
Any child who has grown up with a parent in the army. Simple! And I feel so lucky and proud to actually be one.
YES, I am a FAUJI BRAT (as the army slang goes!) My hometown? well.....nowhere! I was born in MH (Military Hospital), Delhi, lived first year of my life in a bamboo house on the hills of Mizoram, at two I was at the LOC (like literally!) and stayed in Nagrota, Jammu & Kashmir, at four, in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, then there's a whole list of postings.(Can you beat this? If yes, then even you are a fauji brat, civilians don't stand a chance!) Frankly, I'm actually amazed at people who have never left their hometowns. I mean, how can a person live his whole life at one place?
Even after moving to so many places, one thing never changed-- the tranquility of Cantts. When our Dads were at the borders or engaged in rescue operations, we were in the most secured and protective environment rendered by the army cantonments.
For us, family means the unit our fathers belong to. Bonds created in a unit are not based on blood relations. Frankly, defining those relations are beyond my capability to express.
Friendships here are made within seconds and kept for decades. Relationships are valued immensely as we are already aware of the fact that this might remain as such for around 2 years (or even less) as our Dads would again be posted somewhere else and again we'll pack our bags and get ready to move to another part of the country with the same unvaried joy.
The only supermarket I knew was the CSD canteen. That's our ultimate Walmart! Every thing from a mere MDH chat masala to a fauji's car is brought through CSD.
I've been in such cars which even billionaires won't get to sit in- gypsy, junga, stallion, shaktiman. Yes, my civilian friends, yes! Shaktiman used to take us to our Schools and then drop us back to our homes!
Who says horse riding and golf is only for the blue-blooded? we've experienced them right from our childhood days.
The "sahayak bhaiyas" have been our constant companions. Their fauji tales were always a joy to hear. We once had a bhaiya who was a paratrooper and every single day he used to tell us one of his bravery tales which I and my brother used to hear with the same exuberance everyday. Playing football with them is one of the activities that I truly miss, now that I'm living in a civil area. They have been the most generous and assistive individuals that I've come across. A big and a proud salute to them.
So, to all my fellow mates who were born in an MH, traveled to Army School in a Shaktiman, the born tambola players, whose first & favorite snack has been roasted peanuts with onions and tomatoes (yummyyyy!) or the one and only chicken 65, who still love the smell of brasso, are experts at fine dining (thanks to our Dads!), who can easily figure out a soldier's rank with a look on his shoulder, are avid travelers, to whom AWWA, 2i/c, DSOI, civvies actually makes perfect sense, who can very well name the rifles which their Dads use or mighty fighter jets (mostly boys do that!), to all the beautiful May Queens, and all those lucky brats who've been part of such an amazing and dignitary organisation just because they happen to be the kids of our Indian faujies :
HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY TO YOU ALL.
Our Dads are not only our heroes but the whole nation's stars. And today is the day when we honor these great men for whom INDIA has always come first (even before us!).
A big salute to all my uncles and bhaiyas! You all are our nation's pride.
In the end I'd love to quote what one of my fellow fauji brats once wrote:
"When I stand to honor that flag, so also do I stand in honor of all the soldiers and most especially to the parents whose life created mine".
JAI HIND.
No comments:
Post a Comment