Pilgrimage cum vacation.

OM NAMHA SHIVAY

21.11.2006
Hello Everyone,

I am writing this because I want all my dear-ones to know about the wonderful pilgrimage cum vacation we had from 1st October to 18th October 2006. This experience we had is totally unique in the sense that no civilians can have it unless they know some body like Yogesh as closely as we know. Before starting the tour we will have to go back for 30 years in the past to understand our relation with Yogesh. This is necessary because then only you will know why we were treated with so much affection.

I was introduced to Yogesh’s Dad and Mom by Anil in Kolhapur. I used to go to Kolhapur regularly and I became quite friendly with Yogesh Rajadhyakshya’s family. Yogesh’s mama Shekhar Divekar turned out to be my friend in Thane. Soon I became very friendly with Shekhar’s entire family i.e. his parents, his three sisters, their husbands and especially their kids i.e. Yogesh and all his cousins. Yogesh has one sister, his one mawashi has four daughters, another mawshi has one son, one daughter and Shekhar has 3 daughters. Yogesh is now 39 years old and he is the senior most amongst all his cousins. These kids used to come to Thane to their mama place and they became equally attached to satish mama also. By the time Neha was about three years these kinds started visiting Ganga Bhuwan whenever they used to come to Thane. Vidya used to cook for all of them and they used to stay with us also. Soon they became attached to Vidya mami and Neha also. On a few occasions all the 11 cousins have come and stayed with us. Vidya had tough times but everything looked fine then.

In the meanwhile one of the Shekhar’s sisters with four daughters lost her husband who was in Airforce. Her four daughters became very close to us after they lost their father. Yogesh decided to join Army and he came once to say goodbye before joining NDA probably in the year 1989-90. His four cousin sisters migrated to Pune and we remained in touch with them occasionally. In 1991 I came to US and in 1993 I met with the accident. Since then there was practically no contact with Yogesh till the year 2004. In 2004, we went to Nasik to attend Yogesh’s sisters’s wedding and that was a grand reunion. All the old memories were cherished. Everything appeared to be like old times. Nothing was lost. Every thing between our relations had matured, had become more affectionate and more intimate.

Mendher is a small town about 250 KMs from Jammu towards Poonch. It could be a tourist place but presently it’s a terrorist place. When Yogesh was posted to Mendher, as a commanding Officer, (colonel) he wanted us to be there for his Raising Ceremony. Raising Ceremony is an important event in a Colonel’s life because that time he takes over the charge of the entire Unit as a Commanding Officer. We couldn’t make it then but his wife and both sons had gone to Mendhar to be a part of the function. Yogesh came out as a Second Leuftantant for the Army from NDA (National Defence Acadamy). He climbed the ladder to Colonel in the year 2005 with steps like Leuftanant, Major and Captain. He is now 39 and that’s a good achievement for his age. His next promotion could be Brigadiar and he could rise upto General in 3 more steps. Field Marshall is the maximum one can go in the Army.

He seriously wanted us to visit him and we were very keen to see his achievements and glories. Finally the dates were decided from 1st October to 18th October. Since we were going to land in Jammu I planned the pilgrimage to Vaishnodevi. As usual I started collecting members. Since we wanted a reasonable crowd, only Meena and Shradha could be added to three of us. These dates turned out to be good for us as this is the busy time for the schools and colleges before Diwali vacation. So our train was less crowded and the train journey of about 34 hours from Bombay to Jammu was very comfortable. We reached Jammu at about 5 pm. On 2nd October. We were very warmly received by two Army jawans Rajesh and Satish, deputed by Col. Yogesh. They took us to a tourist vehicle arranged by Yogesh and we straight away proceeded for Katra. Katra is about 55 KMs from Jammu and it is the base camp for Vaishnodevi. We reached Katra by about 8 pm. and checked in a good hotel. Neha wanted to go to Vaishnodevi in the night only as 90 % of the tourists normally do. But we decided to take rest in the night and start the climb early morning. Katra town is well lit and was very live in the night, as many pilgrims march to Viashnodevi in the night chanting Jai Mata Di. The view of the mountain on which the temple is built is very beautiful as the entire walkway is well built and well lit. I had started thinking about the Devi and was singing Chalo Bulawa Aya Hai Mata Ne Bulay Hai, since we got our tickets in hand, Thinking about the long walk tomorrow we all had local meal and went to bed at about 10 pm.

The night turned out bad for Meena and Neha as they started vomiting by midnight. But we all got up by 4 am. By then everybody was almost fresh. Neha because of her young age and Meena because of he determination. Shraddha had a severe joint pain in Bombay only due to some fever and she was also not in a very good shape for the climb. I told everybody to think just about Mata Ke Darshan and assured that everything will be alright. We all got ready and started for Vaishnodevi by 4.30 am on Tuesday 3rd October. Rajesh, Satish and one more Army Jawan (Shiv Shankar) with his wife were to accompany us throughout the day. You have to take a ticket known popularly here as Parchi for Darshin on a particular day and you have to start your climb within maximum 6 hrs. from the time of issue. The parchi is for the group and it is free. It was all arranged by the Army guys.

We started our ascend by about 6 am, after going through security check, verification etc. There was practically no crowd at all. The climate was very pleasant and charming. We started walking comfortably. Meena was still not good and Shraddha was already riding a horse. Meena vomited after some time and we decided to put her also on horse. The army guys were taking very good care of us. They did not let us carry even a bottle of water. The walkway is built nicely with stones. There are many well made short cuts made up by stone steps but they are more tiring and we ventured only a few of those. The distance to Vaishnodevi temple is about 13 pahadi KM and 2 KM beyond that is the Bhairav temple. From the base, charan paduka, Ardha Kumari, Hathi Matha, Sanjichat and Sadan are the popular halts. From many view points the scenery is beautiful. But cameras are not allowed for security reasons. The scenery must be different in different seasons. On the entire path the trust has constructed tin sheds at many places to protect the pilgrims from shooting stones falling from the mountain. We took number of halts and Ramat Gamat reached the sadan at around 11 am. Meena and Shraddha reached much before us because of the added horse power.

There was a reasonable crowd for the darshan, but we had to pass through a queue of hardly 100 people because of the Army arrangements. The darshan was special for us and we were allowed to stay in the cave for about 1 ½ minutes which is otherwise not even few seconds. The pujari explained us the mythology in brief. Actually there is no statue in the cave. The three Goddesses Saraswati, Laxmi and Kalimata are there in the form of three pindis. These three shaktis created Goddess Vaishnavi for well being of the universe. Vaishnavi resided in the cave as a little girl and blessed the villagers in old times. Earlier you had to crawl in water to enter the cave. Now they have constructed two full marble tunnels one for entering the cave and other as exit. The old route is preserved and is open to public on few occasions in the year. Crystal clear, chilled water continuously comes out from behind the pindis and flows throughout the entrance tunnel. I of course drank it as Teertham. There are no offerings accepted in the cave, so every thing is very clean and neat. In the queue and in the tunnel the Maata Ka Gajar reaches the peak and everybody automatically joins the Gajar.

Agle Bolo Jai Maata De
Pichale Bolo Jai Maata De
Sare Bolo Jai Maata De
Haskar Bolo Jai Maata De
Jai Maata De, Jai Maata De

I think this devotion is the driving force for the millions of pilgrims climbing the hill during days and nights, in the sun, in the rain and in the chill of the snow. This is the only holy place in the world which is open for the pilgrims all the 24 hours throughout the year. You will be amazed to see the number and type of people climbing the hill. There are very old people, young people, children, babies able people of all age groups and some disabled also. People are climbing with reebok and nike foot wear and people are walking with ordinary slippers and many decide to walk barefooted. While climbing the tough hill you are driven by the force for Darshan (Darshanachi odh – matrubhashe pudhe engraji thodi tokdi padate) in the tunnel and in the cave you feel blessed and divine but getting out of the cave makes you feel sad. That is where people start thinking about coming back to Vaishnodevi again.

We came out of the cave with heavy hearts. We were all tired and exhausted. But the divinity of the place puts you back in action. We wanted to go to Bhairav temple, which is a steep climb of another 2 KM. Neha was the first one to march ahead and all of us slowly reached the destination. Bhairavnath purposely took enmity with vaishnavi and finally was killed by her. Before dying, he managed to take a blessing from the Devi that people will worship him also along with Vaishnavi. Hence as per the mythology the pilgrimage is complete only when you go from Vaishnavdevi to Bhairv Temple. We did accordingly and started our descend. The descend is supposed to be easy. It is indeed easy. But for the heart. It is nasty for the legs. We reached Adi Kuwari, which is more than halfway to Katra. At Adi Kuwari there is a temple and cave where Vaishnavi meditated. You have to crawl in the cave and come out also crawling. It takes more than one minute for each pilgrim to do so. As per the mythology if you crawl in the cave and crawl out, all your sins are washed off and you can start love all again. Our sins are probably still not due for a wash. If you want to clean your slate, you can think of giving it a try. There was a big queue there and it would have taken us more than 10 hours for the Darshan. So we decided to just visit the temple and start our journey back. The more than one hour break at Adi Kuwari hit me real bad. It was almost impossible and painful for me to even take one step down. I was some what OK on straight path or even uphill. Everybody wanted me to take a horse. But I wanted to complete the pilgrimage by walk. I could walk very slowly and took support all the 6 KMs downhill. Both my knees almost gave away on the slopes. But I could manage to reach the base with great difficulty in severe pain. The scene at the entrance was horrifying. There were thousands of pilgrims crowding the entrance and it was a chaos. If it was so when we entered the gates in the morning, I might not have dared to go for the Darshan. That is why I strongly believe that I am blessed by the almighty for a peaceful quiet Darshan. So far so good.

WE reached the hotel at about 7.00 pm. I massaged my legs with sarson ka tel for more than ½ an hour. Then Rajesh the Army man massaged my legs with some cream. I decided to have a drink before dinner. I went for a bath. But suddenly there was chill in my entire body. My whole body started shivering like what had happened in Amarnath. I could not take bath. I could not even think of a drink. I took Tribhuvan kirty tables and lied down in the bed with two blankets and a sweater on, without any cold outside. After about an hour or so the shivering had reduced considerably and I could gather some strength to go out for dinner. You know in Katra and in the surrounding areas people don’t use onion and garlic at all. No hotels serve nonveg or food with onion garlic. Under these conditions, the thought of having a drink after Darshan was not accepted and I was not allowed to do so. I took a paracetamol tablet after dinner and went to bed. I was fine when I got up but my knees were still not working. The Army men had no signs of tiredness or pain after the hectic day. They loaded all our luggage in the two jeeps and we said good-buy to Vaishnodevi to call us again. We started our journey of about 300 KM. from Katra to Mendher via Jammu at about 9.30 am.

We passed Jammu by about 11 am. The road till Jammu and all the way upto Mendher is not all that good and the entire journey is up and down the hills on Nagmodi narrow roads like smoky mountains. The traffic somewhat reduced after Jammu. The drivers were driving very rough and it was not comfortable. Very soon we had to warn the drivers to keep the speed below 80 KM all the times. We were very promptly obeyed and never had to talk to the drivers about speeding. This happened only because we were CO’s guest. Otherwise the drivers are hard to control. Their normal driving could cause a heart attack to any weak person.

Anyway the scenary changed after Jammu. It is not as good as the other side of Kashmir. On one side of the Pir Panjal mountain range is Shreenagar, Sonmarg, Gulmarg etc. which is beautiful all the way and always. On the other side of the range is Rajori, Surankot Bhimbargali, Mendher, Poonch etc. which is not as beautiful as its counter part but once you are on a vacation, you can find beauty in every thing. One side grows apples, has thick forest and is pleasant and cold always. The other side does not grow apples has thin forest and it is pleasant for few months. It can get very hot at times. Rajouri is a big town on the way and is supposed to be busy with terrorist activities. After Rajouri the traffic really thins down and at times the journey seems barren and lonely. There is a good movement of Army vehicles of all types except tanks. We got a message from Yogesh that he will meet us at Bhimbergali (popularly known as BG) which is about 30 KMs from Mendher. He was returning from a conference and BG falls on that way also. We reached BG at about 5 pm and Yogesh was expected within 15-20 minutes. We were allowed to halt there as CO’s guests since it is a regular station for Armymen.

BG is scenically beautiful. There are two view points in two directions. Both sides exhibit beauties in Himalayas. The LOC is also visible but is at a good distance. Suddenly there was halchal among the all faujis on duty as they heard some noises of vehicles at a distance. They confirmed it to be CO’s vehicle and took their positions more properly for his arrival. We were not sure as to how Yogesh will meet us infront of all his soldiers. So we just waited for his arrival. His arrival was thrilling experience for us. As soon as his vehicle entered the campus all the army men gave him a solid salute. When he got down, the commandos with AK47 from his protection vehicle took position in all directions to cover him. He met us by hugging the normal civilian way the way we do. He asked us about the journey and other things and within five minutes instructed his boys to proceed towards Mendher. His vehicle in the front, followed by our two civilian jeeps and the LMG mounted protection vehicle with four armed commandos in the rear. Our protection began since then. You know Yogesh was more pleased and happy to see us there than what we were. We were more excited thrilled and proud to see his “rubab and thatt. Amchya dolyancha parnach fital”.

Most of our 30 KM journey now was down the hill. Just 10 KM. before Mendhar one of our civil jeeps ran out of fuel. The fleet stopped. Yogesh got down, rearranged the seating arrangement. He decided to drive his own vehicle and made me sit next to him. That was really a great proud feeling. He perfectly knows what his Mama would like and enjoy. We reached Mendher by evening. The welcome in 37 RR campus was grand. Yogesh introduced us to his staff. They greeted us, with warmth. “Manat kuthetari laaj watat hoti ki” whether we civilians deserve such a VIP treatment.

We were not allowed to touch our baggage since we got down at Jammu. Our bags reached our rooms like a 5 star hotel. Yogesh showed us the arrangements he had made for our stay. It was much beyond our expectations. He had decorated 3 suites for us. Each with a sitting room, bed room, balcony and of course a bathroom. In all the suites there was a big TV with DVD player. Yogesh had one for himself on the same floor. The toiletaries kept in each bathroom showed how much thoughtfully Yogesh must have arranged everything. The slippers, soaps, shampoos, toothbrush, toothpastes, cold cream, oil etc. was kept in all the bathrooms. The gents bathroom had a razor, shaving cream, after shave lotion and the ladies baths had a pack of sanitary Napkins in addition. You know the height of everything; Yogesh had sent a couple bath towels, napkins and a few blankets for us with his boys to Jammu. Its really worth appreciating that how minutely Yogesh thought about everything that we might need. Every small thing in the suites and his total behavior reflected the feelings he carried for us.

Yogesh asked his boys to make arrangements for our bath with hot water and went to his office down below for some work. The only thing he did not do was to tell them to give us a bath. He called us to the MESS for dinner at 8.30 pm. All of us got well dressed. I wore shoes because it was going to be our first dinner in the Army MESS. We first went to his office. I am sorry that I cannot explain how I felt when I saw him sitting in the CO’s chair. I can only say that it was a different and proud feeling which you cannot get by seeing even a topmost civilian executive sitting in his office chair. Yogesh really looked very smart and totally in command. We were welcomed in the MESS with a respect of the first order. The ladies are always special and they are taken care off first. We were offered soft and hard drinks. Starters were served till we got ready for dinner. All this is done by army men in uniform. Once we are done with drinks the CO tells the MESS is-charge to set the dinner on table. Once the dinner is set, the ceremony is worth experiencing. The MESS in-charge comes marching where the CO is sitting. He salutes him and announces. “Jai Hind. Bhojan prastut hai shriman. Jai Hind”. Salutes the CO again and marches back to his position near the dining table. This is the ritual in the MESS and it went on till our last meal in the MESS. This is done only when the CO is in the MESS. It is not done for anybody below the rank of CO or for the civilians. Yogesh told us a real joke that had happened once. A new chap took charge of the MESS. He must have practiced the ritual. On his first day he did everything right. But said “Jai Hind. Bhojan prastut hai Hanuman. Jai Hind.”

After dinner we used to take a walk inside the compound only and chat for sometime with Yogesh. Then he used to go to his office and used to work till late in the night. The nights were cool and we used to sleep with a blanket. After getting up in the morning Rajesh and Satish were at our service for every thing. Yogesh wanted us to relax for a couple of days and take things easy. He had planned few interesting things for us after that.

After morning tea on day one the MESS in-charge came to us with a note pad and asked the ladies to decide the menu, from breakfast through dinner and dessert. Neha told a few of her favorite things and we requested him to kindly decide the menu himself for the rest of the meals. Rajesh asked us about the clothes to be washed. We had lot of used clothes due for a wash. All the three suites kept their laundry clothes in a corner. He picked them up and brought them back in the evening nicely washed and pressed and kept them in the closet. We never had to tell him about the laundry again. From day two I started putting my UB’s also for laundry. I am sure, it’s a rare privilege to wear ironed UB’s and use pressed handkerchiefs. You have to be lucky to get that. It was the only such long vacation for all of us when we had no laundary to be done except for the clothes we were wearing when we reached home. All the other clothing we were carrying was duly washed and ironed.

We really relaxed for a couple of days. Yogesh called us in the MESS at about 1.30 pm for lunch. The same ritual was there for lunch also but mostly we avoided drinks over lunch. In the evening there were arrangements for playing badminton. We had to just get ready. The Armymen would put the net on and give the rackets in our hands. We played badminton almost everyday till we got exhausted. We had lot of military chats with Yogesh whenever we got a chance. Many times we had shilopyachya gappa with him. We had to relax the next day also because it was a weekly off for the ROP. ROP stands for road opening party. It is a division of a unit in terrorist prone areas only. The soldiers in this division inspect and take care of the safety of the roads in their area. They are out of their camp for the whole day. They are provided with the necessities by military vehicles from point to point. They are dropped in the morning by these vehicles at fixed points and they are picked up by them in the evening. They move with a AK47 in their area for the whole day like watch dogs. Once the ROP goes back at about 6.00 pm then the military vehicles stop moving because the terrorist become active then. Once in a week the ROP is not there and the Armymen stop their movement on road. This ROP off day is not kept fixed and the military authorities keep it changing to confuse the terrorist. There are thousands of soldiers of Indian Army doing this ROP job in Jammu and Kashmir. The local Muslims are not friendly with Indian Army and they don’t treat the ROP soldiers with respect. That makes the life of ROP Jawans more difficult.

The next day Yogesh had planned our visit to 5 Asam Unit which is posted to guard a certain portion of LOC. The LOC i.e. line of control is a imaginary line which decides the boundaries. On one side of the line is Indian Army and on the other side is the Pakistan Army. We could visit 5 Asam only as CO’s guests. Otherwise there is no civilian movement. There are 63 batallions of Indian Army posted in J and K. Which means about seventy thousand soldiers. This is besides the BSF ( Border security force) regiments, Army , Police and, J and K Police. We are paying a heavy price just to say that Kashmir is ours.

Yoesh accompanied us to 5 Asam. The journey was up hills but short. As we gained height the landscape looked beautiful. The climate was very pleasant. We were of course moving with full Army protection. We stopped at few view points and Yoesh explained us the position of his six companies placed on hillocks of the Himalayan range. Each Unit has anything between 5 to 7 companies placed at difficult locations. Each company has a company commander of the rank of captain. We were warned not to wander in the jungle because of the danger of Road Mines placed by terrorist. The welcome to 5 Asam was very warm. They were waiting for us. The CO to CO meet was like a family get together. The 5 Asam boys took us to their check post at the top and showed us the LOC and the Pakistani check posts. The entire 5 Asam is placed in a hilly area and there were only few flat grounds. The Army men had built a well equipped township by itself in the hills. The officers quarters, barracks, MESS everything was very intelligently and artistically made with lot of asthetic sense also. We observed it in all the Unit we visited. Every Unit has Mandir, Masjid, Gurudwara and Church built in common. Every thing is made nicely. After all, all of them have to spent the whole day and a few years of their life there. The Unit is their home with CO like their father without the other family members. The boys showed us the LOC with powerful telescope and explained every thing in details with great interest. We were then taken to the MESS for lunch. You know the word MESS stands for Men with Equal Social Status. The lunch was as usual like a ceremony. The army officers like to discuss various matters with the civilians but mostly avoid to give their comments about politics and politicians. Such discussions with civilians are very rare and it brings a good change for them. Otherwise the only change in their routine lives could be an encounter with the terrorists where either you kill them or get killed in the process.

The other day we visited 9 Madras Unit. 9 Madras is placed to guard another portion of LOC at a different location. Yoesh could not come with us on that day but deputed his Quarter Master (QM) with us. A CO is seconded by a 2 IC (2nd in command) and the next man in charge is a QM. The journey to 9 Madars was again uphills and not very long. But the mountains and the scenery were more beautiful. If such places were there in Europe or USA, they would have made heavens out of it and attracted tourism of the entire world. Tragically we were moving with full army protection in our own beautiful Himalays.

We had a great welcome by 9 Madras boys. The LOC is closer from 9 Madras check posts and the view is beautiful. We could see houses and people on the Pakistan side with the help of binoculars. The life of people in Pakistan near the LOC looked comfortable. There are no bomb blasts and no terrorists there, whereas in India there are no civilians near LOC. The Army had to push back the local Muslim civilians because they would help the Pakistan Army otherwise. The local Muslim civilians are pushed back beyond an actual barbed wire fence away from the LOC and now they help the terrorist. The Government and the Indian Army help all the locals in every possible way. For the poor in Kashmir, the Govt. gives cycles, stitching machines, wheel chairs etc. free. There is no income tax, no house tax, no electricity or water bills for them. The army gives them their grocery at subsidised rates. In spite of all this most of the local Muslims are not at all trust worthy. They will not go to Pakistan but keep on helping the terrorists. You can see and feel the hatred in their eyes for you, me and the Indian army. The kids are taught to be anti Indian under the name of Jehad. The terrorist are given shelter by the local muslims and young girls are made to sleep with the terrorist under the name of Jehad. Wherever there are terrorist activities in the world there is definitely a local support extended to them under the name of Jehad for Islam and money. In the beauties of Himalaya, this was the darker side of our vacation.

Anyway we had a grand lunch and an excellent day with 9 Madras boys. We returned home in the evening. We had started feeling like members of 37 RR family and suddenly we realized that only 5 more days with Yogesh are left now and half the vacation is over. That evening we played badminton. We called for drinks and dinner in Neha’s suite and then we had a long session of singing. Myself, Yoesh, and Neha were the main performers.

The next day Yoesh had planned our visit on the firing range. All of us were not allowed to go there for security reasons. We moved in a group of about 20 armed men lead by a Major. It was a walk of only 30 minutes uphill but it was like a operation for them due to our safety precautions. We were all the time kept in the middle of the group. When we reached the range 5 to 6 six of the Jawans scanned the hills and took positions at heights and in the trees to guard us. The major then explained the working of AK 47 and the LMG ( Light Machine gun) and told us about the rules to be followed on the firing ranges. He said he might, be rough with us if we don’t take it seriously and don’t follow any of the instructions. We were to be given a chance to fire AK 47 and LMG, only in the lying down position as it is the safest for civilians like us. A live demonstration of each activity was given to us and we were asked to lie down on ground with AK 47 in our hands. After taking proper position, we were given a magazine loaded with 10 rounds which we mounted in the belly of the gun. The magazine otherwise can take 30 rounds. The guns have a safety catch mode, single round mode and automatic mode. Four targets were placed at about 60 yards distance. Once we were ready, we put the guns on single round mode, aimed at the target and fired. The sound made by the shot is not very friendly and the recoil is considerable for us civilians. The AK 47 is supported on both hands and the accuracy depends on the firmness of your grip. The magazine of the LMG is on the top side of the gun and the front portion of the gun is mounted on a tripod. The accuracy of LMG is therefore more as it is some what independent of your grip. We had a few shots by both the weapons. Some of our shots hit the target also. After that the major fired ten rounds and all were in the bulls eye. The army men are taught like that and they are supposed to hit the target only. The terrorist don’t require such hard work and efforts as they have to kill everyone in the front without aiming, in the name of Jehad for money first and then Islam.

For us firing was a most thrilling and unique experience and we had a great time. Thanks to the Armymen and Yogesh who allowed it. We started winding up and the operation was called off. We thanked personally each and everyone of the group who gave us such a wonderful experience. On our way back we saw a house of a local Kashmiri Muslim farmer. After seeing my desire to visit the farmer, the Major thought for a while and agreed for it. He first sent his four commandos with AK 47 to search the house and the surroundings. They did so and took positions on the roof and elsewhere. Then we went to the house with the Armymen. The guy was a typical poor farmer. But he had probably more than one wife and lot many children. We met all of them and saw the house. The house was small and it was like any other poor Indian farmers house. One of the ladies was making hot make di tan door rot. They were very glad when I asked for one. We all tasted it. It was really good. The Armymen didn’t taste it as they have lost faith in the local Muslims. The local muslims have extra khoonnas for the Armymen. We shook hands with the farmers family members after having a little chat with them. They were nice with us for the 10 minutes we spent with them but I will never be able to say whether the look in their eves was friendly or not. I can say that the look would be different anywhere in India.

The next day Yoesh had some work. So he planned our visit to Budhe Amarnath. It is about l 100 km. from Mendher towards poonch side. Yogesh deputed his Quarter master to accompany and protect us. We moved with full Army protection. Our every outing was like an operation for the Army boys. We could start only after ROP clearance which is at about 8.30 am. The journey to Budhe Amarnath was long and tiring because of bad hilly roads. As per mythology Parvati insisted to know everything about immortality ( Amartwa). Finally, out of love Bholebaba agreed to it and marched towards Budhe Amarnath. In a place made totally lifeless he started narrating the secrets of immortality. By mistake a pair of pigeons happened to be there. Bholebaba didn’t like that and he went with Parvati to the more famous Amarnath cave near Pahelgaon. But nobody other than Shivji is supposed to know the secrets of immortality. So Parvati felt asleep while listening and so on. According to tradition people first go to Amarnath cave and then come to Budhe Amarnath to complete the pilgrimage. I was destined to complete the pilgrimage as per the tradition, after six years. That is really fortunate.

We reached the temple by about 12.00 pm. The temple is totally under Army management. The temple is beautiful and very nicely maintained. The place is scenically very beautiful and there is a huge Swayambhoo marble Shivalingam. You are supposed to go to the temple wearing a Nazi type cap. The pujari was waiting for us. There was nobody else in the temple, other than our group. We had a Sagra Sangeet Pooja and Abhishek. The Darshan was completely satisfying and soothing. Yogesh had instructed the QM to reach the base by 6.00 pm and we started our journey back soon. On the way we had another warm and affectionate welcome as Col. Yogeshe’s guests. This time it was by the 40 RR boys. We had another excellent lunch in the company of young charming army officers of 40 RR Unit. I had a bet with the CO of 40 RR. He was saying Afzal Guru ( A nasty terrorist) will be definitely hanged on 20th Oct. 2006 as decided. I said in our country a terrorist belonging to the so called minority community will never be hanged. We are known today for releasing terrorists against hostages who are related to politicians. I have already won the bet. But I would have been happiest in loosing this bet. Because the efforts of the Armymen in arresting the terrorists by risking their lives would then be fruitful.

40 RR is located on the banks of a nice river. We saw the natural beauties and the beautiful things made by 40 RR boys. But we had to wind up the good times with 40 RR as we had to reach Mendher before the ROP calls it a day. Otherwise the QM would get a bad scolding from Yogesh. We reached KG (Krishna Gali) before sunset. We had some time to take a quick look at the beautiful Himalayan range and the LOC. But Yogesh had to talk to the Army officer at KG for granting us the permission to proceed to Mendher. We somehow managed to reach Mendher before dark and the QM got relived of the of the responsibility of bringing us home safely.

We took it easy the next day. We went to Ram Kund which is an ancient temple about 10 km from Mendher. The site is beautiful and you can feel the ancientness. Ram, Laxman and Sita are supposed to have stayed here during their Wanvas. They could stay their without protection but we were all the time moving with full military protection.

The only outing remaining now was visit one of Yogesh’s company. Yogesh chose Echo company which is placed on a scenically most beautiful mountain. It was about 50 KM drive from Mendher. After BG the journey was through mountains having very thick forest. It was about 50 km drive from Mendher. After BG the journey was through mountains having very thick forest. It was pretty cold in the forest. We reached there by 11 am. Captain Gautam of 37 RR was the company commander. We had a extra warm welcome because we were the guests of his own boss, the CO of 37 RR. Echo is placed on the highest peak of the mountain range to guard the surrounding areas. Echo is composed of about 130 soldiers and is spread over 2 Acres of land. The land is owned by a local muslim and the army pays a handsome rent to him. He stays just next door. In spite of this the Army cannot have faith in him and cannot have cordial relations with his family as good neighbors. The Echo company location is more beautiful than any other hill station I have visited so far. As a tourist I envied Gautam and his boys for getting a chance to stay at such a lovely place. But I am sure Gautam and his boys must be having tough time in staying there on Army duty. We roamed around the area with Gautam, again under protection of commandos. Gautam, showed us villages below the mountain where they had killed few terrorist in encounter recently.

We captured the beauty of the mountains, the forest and the snow covered peaks of Himalaya into our eyes and filled our lungs with fresh, crisp air. Gautam’s quarter was a neat, small tidy beautifully made room. Gautam offered drinks to all. My self and Gautam had beer in the chilly weather. We had some good time, dancing and singing with the 37 RR boys. The lunch served was exclusive in that remote place. We didn’t feel like leaving the place and Gautam also wanted us to stay overnight. But the CO won’t like it and we had to reach Mendher before the ROP calls off. The parting was sad on both sides. We knew that we may not be seeing these beauties again unless the Kashmiri muslims give up terrorism and take themselves as Indians. Gautam and his boys knew that they have to go back on duty and such light moments are not going to come again because even if an Army officer like Yogesh, wants to invite somebody on a vacation, 37 RR Mendher is not going to be the venue.

We reached home in time before sunset. Yogesh had to go for a meeting the next day. The drive was about 6 hrs. so he had planned to cover half the distance and stay overnight in one of his companies and proceed for the meeting the next day morning. The CO’s sometimes travel in night with protection which is a calculated risk. Yogesh always moves without wearing a bulletproof jacket. We asked him why he is taking such a fatal risk ? He said Satishmama, my boys around me are more than a bulletproof jacket for me. You know the faith shown by Yogesh in his boys is the driving force for them. They work with an aim “Hum Hamare Saab Ko Kutch Nahi Hone Denge”. I was asking Yogesh to start early and reach the company by 9 pm. He said Mama we will have a cup of tea together and then I will start. We were all sitting in the varandha over a cup of tea. The day was closing and suddenly his mobile phone rang. One of his guards on the check post on a hill had spotted some suspicious movement near a masjid in Mendher. All the checkposts are equipped with powerful night vision cameras. Yogesh was immediately provided with two handsets and his flow of instructions started right away. He first asked four soldiers from the hill to rush towards the masjid. He then asked a group of his commandos from base to rush to the masjid. Yogesh has two groups of twenty commandos on the base. They are supposed to get armed and ready for charge in less than 7 minutes. Anybody taking more than 7 minutes is transferred immediately. Yogesh was continuously in touch with his groups. He used to say 15 calling Charlie, 15 calling Alfa and would receive information from them. By this time all of us smelt seriousness of the matter and we started becoming tense. Yogesh asked major Shrikant to charge to the site with his group from another direction. In less than 30 minutes the three groups surrounded the mosque from a distance. The movement first spotted was two guys digging in the field in darkness.

By the time the soldiers reached near the mosque, they could not see anybody in the fields. Yogesh asked Shrikant whether he needs illumination. Sometimes illuminating the area could be dangerous for the soldiers as they also become visible. Once Shrikant ensured that all his men are secured he demanded illumination. Illumination is like a fireball fired in air by a mortar gun. It could go upto about 3 km distance. Every evening the mortar gun used to be mounted in the ground in front of our rooms. Yogesh asked the boys to fire. We were shaken by the big thud of the gun. The sky, away from us got illuminated. Shrikant asked for another shot 300 meters towards north. Another shot was fired accordingly after CO’s instructions. That was right on target and it illuminated the site. When the soldiers captured the site, few muslim ladies came in front and vouched that there is nobody. These ladies probably gave cover to the terrorist and helped them flee before the Army reached. The Armymen are warned by the politicians, not to touch the civilians, even if a soldier is killed. The Armymen are supposed to shoot only a terrorist with weapon.

Yogesh soon called the operation off. The whole thing went on for two hours. We were sitting speechless, tense and in a shocked state of mind. The whole experience was most exciting and thrilling but disturbing. Yogesh cancelled his night march and invited us for dinner in the MESS. We were not comfortable till Shrikant and his boys came back. Once Shrikant came we could see a sorry feeling on his face because he missed the catch. He was sure that the operation failed because of the muslim ladies. Yogesh said it happens many times and success is very rare because of the support extended by the local muslims to the terrorists.

We had a peaceful dinner and went to bed as Yogesh had to start early next morning. We prayed for success of Indian Army and prayed god to eradicate terrorism and Jehad from muslims all over the world. We relaxed the next day after Yogesh went for work. Rajesh forced me to have a military hair cut and massage. The Barber, Dhobi, tailor and cooks are all part of the unit and their job is as important as anybody else in the Regiment. We spent maximum time with Yogesh after he came back. The next day was going to be our last day with Yogesh in Mendher. A grand vacation was coming to an end. The packing was easy as there was no shopping done and all the clothes were nicely pressed. None of us was in the best of our moods and nothing much happened on that day. We had our last dinner in the MESS and went to bed. We got up early and were all ready for departure to Jammu by 8.30 am. We shook hands with all the soldiers, thanked them and said good bye. Saying good bye to Yogesh was really tough and all of us including him were in tears. Finally we parted and left Mendher by 9.30 am. We were escorted by Rajesh, Satish, Bhushan and other soldiers till we boarded the train, next day morning. We were standing in the door and waving hands to them. We had never said such a long time good bye to any body.

During the train journey we were thinking about 37 RR boys. We became quite attached to Rajesh, Satish and Bhushan who were all the time serving us or escorting us. Bhushan happens to stay near Jammu. You know the height of every thing; he brought homemade food for all of us, to last throughout our journey. We were really touched by their caring for us. We were associated with Shrikant and Joginder Paul also. All of them were really nice. But if you think of their life, its very tough. If you take it as job versus job, still it is nasty. We may have hard work but our lives are not at stake while working. They cannot survive without dedication and devotion to the country and to the boss. We may not bother about the boss and the country could be too far for us. They don’t have a weekly off. They are not on duty for 24 hours but are there for duty all the 24 hours. They have only 80 days leave in the year without weekly off and with irregular working hours. They spend all their free time inside the campus as it is not safe to move out. They are not handsomely paid but are still loyal to the boss and the unit. We cannot survive all this. We are surviving and enjoying life here because they are protecting us from the enemies of the nation and of the religion.

No wonder the tendency to commit suicide is increasing amongst the Armymen all over the world. There are incidences when a soldier has killed his boss and then killed himself. Reason. Leave not being sanctioned. May the almighty give divine strength to the hearts, minds and souls of soldiers all over the world to eradicate enemity and bring peace and happiness to mankind. I have written all this in details to the best of my ability so that you can have a feel of the wonderful moments which we actually lived.
JAI HIND
JAI MAATA DEE