An Evening With Captain Aditi

 

It had been a while since i last satiated my wanderlust. I was trying to talk my little brother(well, .... not so little) into accompanying me on a short wandering, but i should have known better of the brothers with THAT attitude!So i decided, ill venture on my own. I put the Nano to ignition and before i knew it i was a TCP 2 of the Hisar Military Station. 

At the security check, (thnx to my idiocy) i was blatantly denied the entry as it was a mandate to have an acquaintance on the inside of the station.I couldn't have given up this easy though. After a painfully long couple of hours and some 30 calls, i got in contact with my cousin's friend's friend from the army. N That's how kids, i met Captain Aditi! :P :)  She helped me through and instructed the jawans to guide me to her office. And after finishing with her day, she literally took me for a talk to remember! 

The campus was a wonderland in itself with lush greens, carefree kids cycling around, senior officers jogging, and the clean wide well lit roads. As it was time for the evening PT at the station, i met many handsome officers in shabby white shorts and tshirts!

Walking across the tanks and the men, i could feel the Captain's aura,(or maybe i imagined it) She had the reputation of being the fittest one, the fastest runner, the lady captain on her regiment. The passing  jawans greeted the captain "Jai Hind Saab". 

As we got talking, she talked her heart out about life, aspirations, the transformation from JNU grad to the Indian Fauji (as she liked to be called), the SSB experience, the grueling training year at Chennai, etc.  I was fascinated, keenly listening, putting up few questions here n there.

There was an unmistakable awesomeness in her spirits when she talked about her family. Her father is a retired SPG officer. The Special Protection Group or SPG is an executive protection agency which is responsible for protection of PM, Chief Justice of India, Supreme and High court Judges and other top officials. Happily she went on to entail the anecdotes surrounding the impacts of Indian Army on her life. Many of them ended with "Papa to Papa hi rahenge captain ban jao ya major". When asked about her spouse, a Major with the Indian Army, she riposted with a chuckle,"Vo to mujse b bada fitness freak hai!"  Normally, the officers are posted to stations for two years. She hopefully told that her next posting would probably be the same as that of her spouse.

She added that, just like in corporate, the happiest moments of a Fauji's life are when his leaves get sanctioned. The Officers in Indian Army are entitled to a massive 80 annual leaves. But seldom is one able to use them all. 

When asked if there was any disappointment that she had to face after joining the army, she described one. Indian Paramilitary Forces are a section of the Indian Army wherein the army men are made to undergo extreme physical training for tracking  paragliding , rafting and other adventure sports.  Being an adventure enthusiast , she had wanted to be a part of the Para Forces, and her candidature and recommendations were more than apt. But even in an organization as honored as the Indian Army, at times we get to see the existence of a mental block that females are "weaker" when compared to their male counterparts. Her application was rejected on similar grounds in spite of her repeated requests. 

Finally we clicked a picture(though it was prohibited :P) and had the most refreshing lemonade. As i drove back in the dark of the night through the beautiful station roads, i felt happy to have spent a meaningful evening which bagged me a new friend.