Beauty - Down the memory lane.

"Ram Ram sahab Ji"," Jai Hind Sahab Ji"..these are the words that strike my ears and I float back to those days when my father was serving for Indian Army. Patriotism , heroism, displine courgare and honour best describe our Indian Army. Being a part of army life, I remember the days when me and sister with my dad would visit the parade ground to watch the Reunion Day of Army. The tree trunks all painted with brick colour and the side of roads all neatly decorated with brick colour powder on both the side.

First posting of dad with family was Rajsthan ,birth place of me and my sister. Not much in my memories about the place , rather than those read in books and told by my mother. A place where its too hot during day and too cold in the night.

I remember when dad was posted in 'Along' in Arunachal Pradesh. A beautiful place of green valleys and a place where there is always raining cats and dogs. Here you can see the huts not on the ground but supported on bamboos to a height of 10-15 feet high. Of course Army quaters were not suspended in air on bamboos.There was a small river flowing not too far from our house, and the dangerous part of it was that at the other side of river there was village of Tribal people. Whenever there was a local festival, one can never figure out the courses of mischievous acts the villagers did. One of the incidents, I remember was a day before some local festival, our campus suddenly got pelting of stones at our houses, we all got up and I clanged to my sister and my sister to my mother, my father was on night duty. Some villagers ,as they could eaisly cross the river attacked the army campus at midnight robbed whatever was laying out. Though some army personnels had a fight but they managed to run away. I remember face of my neighbour whose 5 hens were stolen. And the very next day the villagers enjoyed with the government properties. No doubts the security were tighten thereafter.

In spite of heavy rain fall there were occasions when there was shortage of water and that's the day me and my sister would eagerly wait for. And there we go,

to the nearby river splashing water. Well, I didn't know swimming but riding at the back of my sister is much thrilling than swimming itself. Main Ganga Hoon (I am the river Ganga) were our favourite sentences extracted from famous mythological serial Mahabharat at that time, when we are in water.

During the quarterly picnic trip, I remember that frightening swing bridge made of only bamboos and ropes over monsterously flowing river. Once you climb over it dont dare to look down , its not that you will fall but ofcourse your heart will fall viewing the fast rushing water standing on zig zag moving bridge. Once while crossing this bridge I was struck in the middle. Out of fear I couldn't move forward and started crying adding some more water to the flowing river. And at last I was rescued by some villager kids who were running as if on playground. Those boisterous times of childhood never realised me the tough life the defence personnels were facing.

To Be Cont.........