4.Secunderabad, Junglot Secunderabad

 

My derailment for one year advance Course in Electronics and Communication took us to Secunderabad. I was lucky to get a temporary barrack type accommodation. The Course was to start a day after Deepavali! On reaching the allotted quarters, I found the previous occupant did not vacate saying that it was inauspicious to shift during Deepavali and he would vacate only a day later! We spent the day in Secunderabad Railway station Retiring room! Vicky was upset that he could not play “Phataka”. One of my cousins  PK Seetharaman was staying nearby and we took Vicky to their house in the evening so that he could light some Sparklers and other pahatakas. We had our Diwali special lunch at ‘Taj Mahal Hotel” for a princely sum of Rs.5/ per head! Ranjana did not complain. She took everything in her stride.

I was busy in my studies and we put Vicky in school and under tuition. I did fairly well in the course but getting the top rank eluded me.

I was posted to Rocket Regiment Workshop in a hard peace area, a god forsaken location at that time called Junglot halfway between BasolI and Samba! The earlier incumbent was posted out overnight and the workshop was managed by an officer from the EME Branch at Corps HQ. 

There were only two blocks of eight married officers’ quarters and it would take anytime upto two years to get an authorized accommodation if one was lucky. However officers were permitted to keep their families and accommodate themselves in what uis called “ Bhashas”.

Bhashas are  mud  huts with two or more rooms with mud walls . The roofing is by Sarkanda (Tripidium bengalense – Sarkanda,Sweetcane Tall is a perennial herb with stems up to 4 m tall ) . If one was resourceful , he could have a layer of tarpaulin over it . All these Bashas were built around a ndian style Toilets originally built for the troops staying in the Convoy ground during 47, 62, 65 and 71 wars! Fortunately the Bashas had electricity and water connections. The Rocket regiment Workshop had its own Basha but being unoccupied the previous incumbent was in state of utter neglect. Though shocked to see the condition of the dwelling where she had to put up with the small child, Ranjana was happy that at least we were allowed to stay with families! My immediate task was to vitalize the workshop and convince the CO of the regiment that I would put everything in order in a short time. The earlier incumbent had declared one of the Rocket launchers as unfit for use. The immediate task given to me by the CO was make it fit for use. I carried out a detailed inspection and told the CO that I would try to rectify it in the workshop   as spare parts were not likely to come from Russia. I told him that I would need at least a month to set right the “Sight bracket” which got bent due to a minor accident. The accuracy of firing depended on the accuracy of the Sight which in turn depended on the accuracy of its mounting on the Sight Bracket. I got the sight bracket straightened in about three weeks time by stretching it by a medium brake down millimeter by millimeter. The launcher was taken to the ranges and fired live rounds to prove its accuracy. The battery Commander, the CO of the regiment and the Artillery y Brigade Commander were very happy   that a Rocket launcher which was declared unfit for use has not only been repaired but proved its worth in live firing. My Technical Boss at Corps Head Quarters, DDEME visited the workshop to physically verify the claim and was immensely satisfied.  More than anything else my reputation among the troops of the Rocket regiment grew exponentially.

On the home front, I could make the life as comfortable as I could for Ranjana and Vicky to adjust to living in a Basha. Vicky was put in “Hill View Nursery school” at Janglot and then admitted to KV Basoli next year.   True to its name, Junglot, once a jungle, was still full of deadly snakes, scorpions, centipedes and other poisonous creatures. Ranjana had to minutely examine the beds, the roof, the floors and the so called rooms to ensure that there are no creatures are hiding. She did not complain. She mixed with other families and became quite popular.

There was another Medium Regiment also in Junglot. A Station Artllary Mess was common for both the Regiments. This was a novel idea at that time to have a common Station Officers’ Mess for all Artillery Regiments in a station. Sunday brunch was popular.

Ranjana saves a lady from certain death.

On one of those Sundays, a lady-wife of a Battery Commander of the Rocket Regiment, mistakenly sat on a glass-top Centre table in the Anti- room of the Mess. The glass broke and pierced her thigh and apiece was glass got embedded in the flesh. There was terrible bleeding and ladies were horrified .  Ranjana quickly took out the glass piece from her thigh and put a towel and tied it tight to stop the bleeding. The Regimental Medical officer was called and rushed her for further treatment. But for the timely intervention, the lady would have lost a lot of blood and she was of one of that rare blood group! 

  The life was hectic in Janglot! Our annual training exercise and firing was held in Mahajan ranges. A rocket launcher was sent to Siachin base camp to check its efficacy. In the aftermath “OP Blue Star”  , security of Army installations, family quarters, schools were tightened. Even School buses were escorted by armed personnel.

   During my tenure in the Rocket Regiment Workshop, the Regiments turned over. The new regiment came from Naziabad! The CO of the incoming Regiment also had a high opinion of the workshop when we mobilized for Practice camp and firing at Mahajan Ranges.  Ranjana established a good rapport with the ladies of the incoming regimented took active interest in various activities. 

It was exercise “Brass Tacs”, the brain child of the then COAS Gen. K Sundarjea, which took us to the brink of war. We got deployed at our OP location overnight. It was “Op Trident” and war could escalate at any moment. Families in Janglot were given the option to leave. There was one major Kumar from Kerala of intelligence branch. While we were deployed in op location, he took Ranjana on joy ride to visit the border areas, sometimes even crossing to the other side! Both of them landed up in the op location where I was. I had to send them back post haste lest t I got taken to task! Anya way OP Trident was called off after the famous “Cricket Diplomacy”!

 

  Like in Ambala, I got my authorized major’s accommodation almost towards the end of my tenure. We moved out of Basha after almost two years of stay. Also a workshop officer of the rank of captain was posted. He moved into the Basha which we improved over our two years of stay. Our quarters were in the ground floor and the block was close to a wild stream which used to roaring with water after even a short rain. Ranjana was very fond of flowers and gardening. Though there was area around our basha , she could not take up her favourite hobby due to lack of water supply and dye to the area was full of stone. Behind our new accommodation there was scope for developing a flower garden and also to plant some vegetables. Our garden was a riot of colours. She developed a fascination for the colourful butterflies which were in abundance and made an embroidered butterfly frame for the drawing room. This was perhaps her second attempt in embroidery.

 Though we moved to proper built in accommodation, there was still risk of snakes and other poisonous reptiles.  It was by providence that Vivek and his playmate narrowly escaped from a cobra’s fangs which was hiding in an almairah where Vicky used to keep his toys . Vicky was active in his school extracurricular activities and Ranjana ensured that he developed his all round potential. Ranjana was quite popular with the ladies of the regiment and took active part in the Regimental activities while maintaining a guarded distance to keep the identity of the Independent Workshop. The workshop organised the Ganesh Chaturthi festival with great pomp and show in the station. She organised cultural programs and  sports events with troops and families  from Maharashtra from all units in the station took part. She also organised picnics for the families for vesting Basoli, Jammu, Vaishno Devi   and a Dam site which was coming up at that time. EME Corps day was also celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm .Ranjana organised competitions for ladies and children and ensured everyone got a prize.. Because of my rapport with the Arty Brigade Commander and the Corps HQ I could manage to retain the Workshop URC in spite of repeated pressure from the Regiments to close it down.    

During my tenure at Junglot, I could take Ranjana to many places. Though I could not afford luxury travel and stay, we enjoyed our outings. We did the pilgrimage to vaishnodevi and other temples. We went by bus with back packs for all three of us. I planned to go to Leh via Rohtang pass and return via Sri Nagar seeing all places enroute. Bus ride, hitch-hike, staying with a family in a village, staying in Dharmashala  / Gurudwara were new experiences as I could not afford stay in hotels. Ranjana adjusted to this type of tour but never complained. We went to kulu, Manali, Manikaran. We visited all All the Devi temples in Kumaon / Gadwal on a shoe string budget. We stayed in a villager’s house about twenty kilometers short of Manikaran. A fast flowing tributary of the Ganaga with a suspension bridge was just behind that house. Here we washed our clothes. The villager provided hot water and bathroom facilities for us. It was a very memorable experience when Ranjana tied to walk on the suspension bridge and after reaching halfway   and sat down scared out of her wits. I had to go, catch her and bring her back.

We went to Manikaran and stayed in the guestroom of Dharmashala and langar in the he Gurudwara. We hitch-hiked to Rohtang pass after we learnt that the the highway to Leh was closed to heavy snow. Though Ranjana was used to snowfall when we were in Shimla, for Vivek it was a new experience. As we had planned to visit Srinagar, we returned to Pathankot and went by Army bus to Srinagar. I could get a room for us in the Transit Camp at Srinagar. We spent three days visiting various gardens, a boat ride in Dal Lake. I could not afford a stay in a Boathouse though both Ranjana and Vivek were keen. I had no cash to pay for it. They would not accept cheque and there were no credit/ debit cards those days. I promised Ranjana that may be we would afford to rent a boathouse in future! We returned to Jammu by Army bus and reached Junglot! During my entire service in the Army , I could never afford to take them on a holiday but we made the best of our time in various units to visit the famous places around. I made up for this after my retirement by taking Ranjana to Sri Lanka, Bali, Odisa, the entire south including Kerala .

 

.       My tenure was coming to an end my posting was expected anytime.   My posting to I EME Centre came for developing the EME Records Computer System came as a bolt in blue!  I managed to get a small house in Indra Nagar Colony, Lothkunta on rent reimbursement and later managed to get a MES hired accommodation at Venkatapuram. Vicky was admitted in KV Bolarum. Ranjana became lifelong friends with two families! One was Francis, a very able artist, painter and carpenter. The other was Brian Franklin. The association with Brian, Verna and their children were more intimate and carries on even today, though Brian and Verna are no more.

 

  Ranjana picked up embroidery and knitting at Ambala. The first was panel for Vicky’s nursery from a theme from “Stitch craft”!  She made all his sweaters and mine too buying woolen balls from the market and following the instructions from Women & Home and other magazines, which she would buy from second hand sellers on the road side! In Secunderabad up the art clay pot appliqué work from Francis and she made more than hundred pieces of varying sizes and shapes like a one possessed! She would go to the old city to order the base pots from a potter. That area was totally Muslim dominated, congested with lot of narrow lanes. She would order about 20 or 24 pots of various shapes and sizes and got them unglazed and made to order. They were to be baked to Biscuit finish so that it held the appliqué made of putty. There was no way to confirm that they were ready. Sometimes she had to make more than two trips to collect them. We did not have the luxury of any Army vehicle even a one tonner on payment and she and I made it many times by Bus or my “Hamara Bajaj”. She never complained though she donated many of her classic works to the Officer’s Mess for Guest Rooms andto her  friends as gift.    She could have made a fortune out of it if she chose to sell them! Only their photographs are with us as she did not keep even a single piece of her artwork with us!   

 

It was here she purchased a German Sheppard pup from a breeder for a thousand rupees! It was almost my month’s take home pay. But I did not mind it. Vicky became very fond of it. In just about six months it grew up to a formidable size. My mother expired at Delhi MH after an unsuccessful operation other spinal cord. I had gone there to admit her in MH . Ranjana and Vicky reached Delhi and Tony was left o the care my Sahayak. We were in Delhi for about two weeks. By the time we came back Tony had developed a severe infection. In spite of our best effort of the doctor  to treat him at the Government Veterinary hospital at Boiguda who administered even blood transfusion from another health dog, Tony died within a week. Vicky was inconsolable.   My friend PK Dhoti gifted him a pup to console him. Vicky named it Elsa and Elsa was with us for fifteen years staying with us in Dehradun, Delhi and Secunderabad.

Ranjana was an ardent follower of nature. She became an active member of Hyderabad  of Bird Watcher’s Society and took part in many field trips. Her books on Birds will be a collector’s delight. The precious possession is an antique “ Birds ,Trees and flowers Illustrated“ published by Oldhams Press limited London . Later when we were in Dehradun, The Rajaji National Park was on our backyard literally. She could walk around the periphery and to her delight spotted a variety of “paradise fly catchers” among other birds.

The computerization of   EME records was a very tedious affair as more than one lakh records were to be converted from written source documents by transcription to data formats, keying in, verification and uploading. I was supposed to be assisted by four more officers who had done EDP course. They were posted to 1 EME Centre to assist me. Major Satish Chandra, Maj PK Dhody, Maj. Charavarthy were all posted to work in EME Record System. But not one of them was spared by the administration even to visit the EME Records!  

The record capture and conversion was in three shifts and I had to be present in all three shifts. In addition I had to write code for various programmers in COBOL and debug and run them.  I was posted to a Training Battalion and I had to do all the regimental work like attending PT, Parade, organizing events for Corps Day, Corps Reunion etc. I could devote very little time to own household. Ranjana did not complain! She also participated in all Regimental and Officers ‘Mess functions.

I attended the SO Course and won the Gold medal which eluded me in WCC and OALE! My board for next rank was due!  Ranjana felt so happy for me for my promotion to Colonel! I was so busy with my work in EME records and the Regimental activities. Ranjana took major share of the administrative load and became very active in the social circuits and ladies’ functions related Corps Reunion.

 My licensed pistol was stolen by my buddy. It was Ranjana’s effort to get in touch with “Amma”, a prominent soothsayer and oracle who predicted that it would  be recovered in three days time! At that time police officers were doing training on Small Arms in 3 Training battalion of which I was the Second In Command. There was oneMr.Tyagi, a police Officer who interrogated the suspect and got the details as to where it was kept. I recovered the weapon with the help of a police officer of Hyderabad Police.

Whenever I took Vicky to the swimming pool, he would refuse to get pinto the eater. Tyagi told me to send Vicky to the pool with Ranjana next time. In just one outing Vicky lost his phobia and took to the water like a duckling!  

Tyagi later went on to hold a very sensitive and prestigious appointment at Delhi in the security set up of the Prime Minister in the Black Cat Force! The Police Officer of Hyderabad who helped me in recovering the weapon rose to become a Commissioner of Police and later the  Director General of ACB before retiring.  He held very important posts in the Government of Telangana as   Advisor to the Telangana State on minority affairs, a cabinet rank post.

 Ranjana became an ardent follower of Amma and Amma had a special place for her. Ranjana would seek her guidance for all important matters and take her blessings. Even when we were in Dehradun and Delhi in later years, she would consult her for any problems we faced. Kumkum from Amma was kept by her bedside till her last breath!