Quick update on…. My Book

Well, thought of coming back to my blog with a quick update- My 'Book' is done... finally (finished writing/reviewing).
So, as many of you might know, my book is basically…well…my story. It’s a semi-fiction and the name of my character is Siddhant. It starts right from my NDA days with all the experiences, ups and downs, the accident, thru to IIM A. The core theme is inspirational and has elements of adventure, lot of humor and ahem…romance too. Tried to keep it funny, interesting and not preachy at all :), since it’s a real story. Many of my blog posts, which actually went up and down the sine curve as things happened, are part of the book as well.

There were those times of… I’ve taken out 1 hr, let me write the book right now…oh this dialogue was said by Chandler in Friends…which season was it… let me google…that was a good one…let me see the episode… No! No! let me focus… oh! office mail on BB… let me quickly respond… oh! this is also due today… what happened to that office mail, let me follow up… shucks! My 1 hr for book is over… okies some other day maybe… :) .. Well, finally I'm done...

Otherwise life is good, Rishika is growing up fast and becoming naughtier than ever. It was so difficult to take out time…really :). But finally did it, thanks to the support from my better half, Richa.

I’ll be sending it out of my inbox probably in the next 1-2 weeks, and then would be a long waiting period before it gets published. I would like to thank all of you- all of the anonymous and known well-wishers, who kept me motivated to finish the book :).

Ciao ppl!!

Ciao life!!

Never Give up: A story

Had a communication class yesterday….told the class an inspiring story about an Army offr. Felt like it penning it down, so here goes. The facts of the story are more or less true, with minor modifications. As a backdrop, Siachen glacier is the world’s highest battlefield with temperatures ranging from -15⁰C on a pleasant summer afternoon to -50⁰C on a chilly winter evening. Soldiers get posted on a rotation basis for 3 months. The enemy there is no human, no country, but the inhospitable weather.

There is this Army officer, Capt Amit (name changed): 28yrs old, happily married, 3yr old son. He gets posted to glacier and the routine begins. In the first few weeks, no major incidences happen. One day while on a routine patrolling activity, his party gets stuck in a blizzard. On returning, they realise that the officer has a bad case of frostbite. The message for evacuation is sent immediately to base camp. Unfortunately, due to bad weather the helicopter evacuation party gets delayed by 4 days. The delay worsens the situation as the gangrene spreads further.

Two months down the line, the officer is lying on the bed, surrounded by his wife, son and others. Due to the severe infection and primarily because of delay in evacuation, he has lost his entire right leg, half his left leg and half his left hand. His commanding officer finally gets a chance to visit him and asks him how his morale was. The officer says (with a smile that makes everyone in the room so proud), “Sir, my morale is as high as that cloud I can see from the window. I’m alive…It could have been much worse…” With family support and his never-give-up attitude, Capt Amit goes on to recuperate fully, joins back and always maintains- “Don’t give up on life, and Life will never give up on you”.

The message being, life is very iffy….very uncertain….and as I keep saying (Tom Hank’s disclaimer)… "Shit happens"…and more importantly, "Life goes on.."

Ciao ppl !!
Ciao Life !!

Operation Welcome: "Newlywed Lady wife"

Well...Somehow this entire post vanished into thin air...Wonky Blogger.com !!!
"The Operation-Newly wed Lady Wife"...So am putting it in black and white again... :) Here goes...

In the Army, wives of officers are treated with great respect, so much so that you would find very senior officers calling wives of young lieutenants as "Maam"....The entry into the folds of Army of a Lady from a non Army background is really dramatic....In my tenure in Tenga valley (AP, near Tawang), we had a newly maried North-east couple...... Maam didn't know Sir before mrg.....they'd been married for around 25 odd days. I, being the most efficient :) youngster was entrusted with the welcome plan...Here are the excerpts...

Actors: Myself as sahayak (helper), another lady officer (Now mentioned as LO)as Dhobin (washerwoman)
Required: acting skills (not much), a love letter drafted by me (from a girl), timing and luck !!
Self- wearing white PT shoes and a jawan's working dress.

Modus Operandi:

1000hrs: Told by my senior officer to chalk out a plan
1200hrs: Liaison with the LO....brief outline
1330hrs: Sir n maam arrive...Sir is requested to get down at the gate and meet the commanding officer while maam is escorted to the Officers Mess, to their accomodation where I am waiting.

Shock 1:
1400hrs: I receive her and start settling the luggage. While clearing some documents, I inadvertently come across a "Letter"......read it and slyly (but in full view of maam), try to keep it in....(Converting the conversation to English...)
Maam: What is tht bhaiya? (A helper is called a "bhaiya" by n offr's wife)
Me: Memsaab, Nothing !! (try to deliberately hide it)
Maam: Show it to me
Me (takes it over 2 her reluctantly)
She reads it n GOSH !! Itz a letter from Sir's Girlfriend saying that she still misses the beautiful time they've spent together and words to that effect....dumbfounded!!

Shock 2:
1440hrs: In comes the dhobin (LO) with Sir's old clothes...she takes them out one by one (actually mine n LO's)...a combat shirt..white shirt..trouser...Oops !! a salwaar-suit
Maam: Whose is this ? (Shocked)
LO: How do I know?
Me: Memsaab, some of sir's friends used to come over, might be of one of them
(with a serious face !!)
Maam, (Shocked...chinki eyes wide open...whatz happening here ??)
goes n sits outside...

1530hrs: Maam is still waiting outside while i stand next to her awaiting orders...
Maam: You don't look like a helper (Ohhh...dude say something stupid)...till where have u studied?
Me: Memsaab...till 8th
Maam: Where is he ? (The officer)
Me: Memsaab, he had a lot of good friends here (achhi dost thii), might have gone to meet them.

I'm feeling sleepy...as seen in the pic above, all the rooms were on a downward slope...my room was the one immediately below sir's...the last one (in d pic), made up n excuse...
Me: Maam I'll be working in this officer's room, call me if u need anything

Shock 3: 1700hrs: I come out..Maam is still sitting outside....in the same state of shock...couple of days into d mrg...new colours coming out ...Lolzzz
The LO's room was above sir's n she had to go to office in the evening..she came out n rushed down the road....
Maam: Isn't she the dhobin who had come?
Me: (with a gulp n a sly smile) Yes Memsaab, she is "known" to that officer :) :)
I could see the shock on her face.....it was 1800hrs.... her husband was no where....goodness what was going on there...... there was no mobile communication in that hilly area....couldn't call up home...just waiting....

Shock 4:
1830hrs: Message conveyed to her that the First lady (Commanding officer's wife) would be taking her interview and she has to be in combat dress (Never happened...Ever !!)
Well, she was given sir's combat dress, ranks (appellates) and sent for the interview
1930hrs: First lady asks so many questions about her knowledge about the Army that Maam breaks up n starts crying !! Operation called off with immediate effect!!

Then maam was told about the entire prank....was escorted by other officers to her room where sir was waiting...She couldn't believe it till she actually saw myself and the Lady officer arriving in the formal dress for the party. She was like: "I told you na, you didn't look like a sahayak". Maam treasured that "love letter" and showed it to me whenever we met....

Pleasent memories galore...

ciao ppl
ciao life

Where do I-where do I go....from here

Saw “Crimson Tide” & “A few good men” back 2 back...This was what I was supposed to do in life…This was what I was trained in the academies for….All the rules and protocols which you have to necessarily follow- right or wrong…chain of command…code of conduct.…medals hanging on your chest…salutes& respect….d life in Army was the love of my life and now I’m sitting in IIM Ahmedabad mugging Economics, Accounting and HR.

Fate !!

Wonky Fate !!

I’m in the wrong place I know that, but now that the first option is impossible maybe the second best option is the only choice…I analyzed the situation using criteria learnt here…

-Problem statement: Develop interest in civil sector as a whole
-Options: Don’t have any other
-Criteria for evaluation: Effect on Immediate future-Decision: Go ahead dude, Ain’t got no choice !!

Get back to mugging up…..

Ciao ppl….

Ciao life…