Dear Friends,
So many things and experiences which I wanted to narrate would disappear before I pen down, due to something more interesting happenings.But this time I firmly told myself to unburden my heart by narrating my life long experience with one of our brother officers.
Heard a very sad news.Yes, we had lost one of our brother officers from our own battalion.
My memory took me back to 1966- 67. I was the youngest married lady, wife of a Captain then.It is really true for I was only 21 years old,who had delivered a cute baby girl.Battalion had come to the peace area for the first time, to Varanasi.All the 8 or 10 juniors were unmarried and the regular place to get together to escape the boring mess meals, was our house. Very many times when we used to return from an outing, we used to find a note of “Thank you”,from the officers of the unit to tell you that you better start cooking again for your next meal,unless they remembered to dump their mess meal in a tiffin box at your place! It was a pleasure to be in such a situation where people could raid for meals when they wanted a change.

I vividly remember that my husband had come over to Mhow to attend some course.Since we had some distant relatives in Mhow, he managed to smuggle me there. One fine day , then Capt.N.P. Sud who was doing his commando course ,came over exausted and told me ,
” Bhabhi,I am not well. I have not eaten anything for last four days. Pl.make some Khichdi for me”.Then he hit the bed as he was unwell.After half an hour, when my hubby came back,was surprised to find me standing out of the house.I told him,”Rammi, NP. is here,he is unwell due to bad tummy and wants khichdi.” My hubby immediately turned back his cycle and hit the Mhow bazar hunting for pressure cooker, rice,moongdal and all the other items required for a simple khichdi. Ya, you guessed it right.As we were having our meals from a hotel ,it used to come in a tiffin and I had no such arrangements to cook.When Capt.N.P. got up from sleep and had much awaited khichdi, he had no idea how it was produced for his need.

My husband started on a 14 days of holiday to pick up a four door Herald from Chennai, which hit the market then only.There Capt.N.P. accompanied us. Having picked up the car we went to our home town,Tiruchirappalli first to meet our family.Drove through Andra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and at last reached Varanasi.NP enjoyed the beautiful temples of south.Later the overdose of rice was compensated by the chapatis of north.

In 1974 our battalion was in Kapurthala.The battalion was on some outdoor exercise .I was full time pregnant ,rather overdue.My husband was officiating Co, as the Co was on leave.Then Maj. N.P. was looking after the rear.I had to go to Jullandar Military Hospital for a visit to a gynecologist,Maj.Kashyap.Maj.N.P. accompanied me in a one ton vehicle.The doctor asked me to come back after 4 days, if I didn’ t deliver by then. After we reached back, within no time I felt the urge to report back to Jullander hospital.I once again rang up asking for a vehicle and an escort to go back.Maj.N.P. Sud replied,” Bhabhi, you are going to deliver a child,where is the problem for me to accompany you for this.Don’ t worry, I am coming soon.” SUCH IS THE HIGH STANDARD OF COMRADESHIP AND BROTHERHOOD OF INFANTRY OFFICERS. He rushed me back to Jullandar hospital.The night the battalion had returned back from the exercise location and I delivered a boy. He woke up all the officers saying,” Chalo,Bhanjha ho gaya hai”.They opened up a champagne bottle, polished off and all of them signed on the bottle promptly.My hubby was struck in forward area to do some briefing to the Core Commander the very next day.Next day after briefing,while having lunch the Core Commander asked my hubby about the family details.My hubby said,” I have two kids and the third is on its way, as my wife is due to deliver any time”. Core Commander immediately said,” What are you doing with me here,you better rush back to your wife”.Amazing people we have come across in our life.
It was 1975 December end.My husband suddenly came back one afternoon from high altitude saying that we had to move to Missamari, as he was posted out along with Maj.N.P.Sud to a new raising battalion, that was due on 1 st Jan,1976. No one is going to believe if I say that next morning 5 o’ clock, we travelled in an army vehicle larger than 3 ton.We were lucky that some officer was kind enough to provide that vehicle so that we didn’ t have to change the vehicle half way.We hung my husband’ s dresses on hangers,wooden boxes were arranged and the three kids and the small puppy were seated on the boxes.My hubby,Maj.NP and myself were sitting on some cane chairs.While on our journey down the hill ,Maj.NP said very unhappily said ,” Sir, what sort of a journey we are on,so uncomfortable the family, kids and luggage moving out like this?”.My husband said only one thing,” NP, let us thank God that we are going down still alive,whereas from this area lot of people have been airlifted and lot of dead bodies have been transferred.We are very lucky and let us thank God.” Yes, no doubt, we were in our senses and going down alive.

After the raising of the new battalion, he was forced to go back to the same old battalion. After this we were never posted together to any place and visited him whenever we visited Shillong.But whenever, wherever we met,it was always a pleasant reunion only.After the death of his wife ,Maj.N.P. Sud had become very lonely, as his sons were well settled in their own career.I am sure now he is reunited with his dear wife. Here we the RHINOS, who knew him closely are facing a irreparable loss.
Maj,N.P. Sud Stay happy in the heavenly abode.Amen.